


Potters Against the World

by TemporalKnight



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Codependency, F/F, F/M, Multi, Not Fully Stable Main Characters, Oblivious Albus Dumbledore, Ruthless Main Characters, Time Travel, Twincest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:40:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 134,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23994643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TemporalKnight/pseuds/TemporalKnight
Summary: Harry and Rose Potter faced everything together...until the Ministry ripped him away from her. Now, finally, Rose - with the assistance of Gabrielle Delacour - has found him again. They've got a plan to fix what was broken; and maybe get a bit of revenge along the way. Pairing: Harry/OFC/Gabrielle (twincest).
Relationships: Gabrielle Delacour/Harry Potter, Harry Potter/OFC, Harry Potter/OFC/Gabrielle Delacour
Comments: 4
Kudos: 130





	1. A Forgotten Past

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Harry Potter. If I did I would be a far richer man. And I'd be a woman.
> 
> AN: This story was originally posted on FF and I'm migrating it here as well. The main characters in this fic are not fully mentally healthy which should be readily apparent, but they are trying to get better throughout the story and all they really want is to be left alone to live their lives. It's a real shame that the world doesn't want to allow that to happen...
> 
> This fic is partially inspired by 'You're My Density' by robst. It's a good story and while I'm using a similar plot device to initiate the action my story is going to be massively different from there. Not least of which is because in this story, Harry has a twin sister.
> 
> Some warnings before we begin: Harry is still the Boy-Who-Lived, but Rose Potter survived that night as well. Their full back-story will be explored in-story. The important thing to note is that this is a Harry/Rose/Gabrielle story – meaning twincest. I've seen a lot of twincest fics, but most of those are either unfinished or simply excuses to write lemons with little actual plot involved. While I was able to include a few lemons they aren't be the focus of this story. I also intend to portray the Harry/Rose interactions in a somewhat more realistic light than twin stories tend to use (rather unhealthy co-dependence).
> 
> Rose and Gabrielle (and Harry to a slightly lesser extent) will all be firmly Grey. Not Dark per se, but they won't shy away from extreme methods and they can be a bit bloodthirsty for a few individuals in particular.
> 
> Gabrielle's age: Gabi is going to start off one year younger than Harry and Rose. So in the Triwizard Tournament she would be 13.
> 
> Hallows: Don't expect them to play a big role as this fic is designed to be completed sometime around the end of Fourth Year.

**Chapter 1: A Forgotten Past**

Harry Porter Smith sat down on his front porch and sipped his pumpkin juice. His family looked at him like he was crazy when he drank that stuff, but that wasn't really anything new. They always looked at him that way even if they were kind enough to do it when they thought he wouldn't notice. He knew he was adopted. That was blindingly obvious to anyone who even looked at the rest of his family but…well it was almost like his parents had never even wanted him. Why bother adopting a kid if you didn't want one?

Harry sighed and took another drink. It was thoughts like that that took him back to his nightmares and made him want to reach for an alcoholic drink. He never did though. He stayed far away from alcohol. Why he had such a huge aversion to the stuff was another of those things that just didn't seem to have any logical reason. His parents drank every once in awhile, but they never got rowdy – they were actually rather happy drunks. It was just that for as long as he could remember he'd always hated alcohol and grimaced whenever he saw anyone drinking. University had been downright murder when it came to that aspect.

He scowled and drained his glass. It wouldn't due to keep reflecting on age old arguments. Maybe one day he'd get lucky and some fairy godmother would wave her magic wand and suddenly everything that was just so slightly _off_ in his life would make sense.

"Sure and maybe I'll find a drop bear tomorrow too," Harry muttered shaking his head at his wild fantasies. Australia was nice, but it was more Death Land than Dream Land.

Harry popped the top on another of his pumpkin juices and had just taken a sip when the gravel on his driveway crunched and a low rumble drifted up to him. Looking over the side of the porch Harry frowned as an unfamiliar Honda came to a stop and discharged a thin, red-headed girl. She was probably about 25 like him though her small frame made it difficult to be sure. Her hair fell to just above her shoulders in silky waves and her clothes effectively hid most of her figure. They didn't quite hide it well enough to miss the lack of body fat on her or the way she looked like she could badly use someone to make her eat more.

Harry grimaced and shook his head. He wasn't really in any position to make that kind of criticism. He also found his appetite was permanently turned off. There'd never been any reason for it – just like with his other quirks – he just never liked eating. Something always felt wrong. Like he should be saving some of the meal instead of eating it all. Yet another thing that his parents had looked at him askance over.

"Hello," the girl said as she came to stop at the foot of the stairs. Her voice was soft and musical though extremely hesitant. Harry was struck by the sudden urge to run down the stairs and wrap her in his arms saying it would all be okay and whatever had her on edge he'd knock away. It took all of his willpower to suppress that; you don't just go around hugging complete strangers.

No matter how familiar they looked.

Harry shook his head trying to clear his thoughts and raised his hand in greeting. He smiled at her and met her eyes. They were hazel with large bags underneath showing a lack of sleep probably on a level slightly exceeding his own. Harry felt himself drawn into those eyes and the urge to run up to her came back with a vengeance.

He blinked and tore his gaze away glancing back at the car. He noticed a tall blonde woman who'd stayed seated on the passenger side. Well, not quite blonde, her hair was almost silver. It had to be some sort of dye, there was no way that could be natural. She also looked about Harry's age and was reading a book far too intently. He was struck with another familiar feeling seeing her and his eyes narrowed slightly trying to place where he'd seen a red-head and a silver-haired woman sitting together.

A cough from below saw Harry twisted back with a guilty expression spreading across his features. He rubbed a hand on the back on his neck and flashed an apologetic smile. "Sorry, forgot my manners for a moment. Hello. Err, are you lost? There's…well there's not really much around here actually…kinda why I chose it…I can tell you how to get back to the freeway though if that's where you're trying to get to."

The red-head laughed and her features shifted completely. Gone was the sickly, sorrowful girl. She'd been replaced by an amused, fun-loving adult with a smile that could light up the Sun itself. Her laugh had him smiling in return for what felt like the first time in years. "I'm not lost," she said starting to climb to steps. "I'm finally home. You have no _idea_ how long it took me to find you."

Harry's smile fell somewhat as he peered closer at her. "Find me? Did we know each other from primary or something?"

A pained grimace flashed across her features so fast he almost thought he'd imagined it. But he hadn't. He'd hurt her. He didn't know how, but he'd hurt her. His stomach clenched and he had to ball his hands into fists in order to prevent himself from reaching for a nonexistent bottle of liquor.

The girl reached out and gently touched his arm. Harry felt relief flood through him at the touch and the reassurance that he'd done nothing wrong. Scowling Harry looked down at the hand on him. "I don't like people touching me. This shouldn't feel good." Looking back up, Harry met her hazel eyes with his green ones. "Who are you?"

"My name is Rose Potter, Harry. I'm your sister."

Harry could only stare at her. His vision blackened around the edges and a dim voice echoed through his mind. _"Rose! Get off me! Rose!"_ Harry groaned and pushed a hand against his head as it started to throb. "Bloody migraines. Excuse me for a minute. I need to grab some medicine before this gets worse."

The hand on his arm quickly shifted down to clutch his fingers and hold him in place. "Don't leave. I can help. Headache right? It's a side effect. They were good, I'll grant them that. But they weren't good enough. Things leak through every once in awhile right? Hang on, Ella and I found a spell that should take some of the edge off. It's just a temporary measure until I can break the block fully, but it should work until we have a chance to finish talking."

Harry was about to comment on the absurdity of using a 'spell' to fix a coming migraine – never mind the rest of her nonsensical comment or her claim to be his sister – when she brought out an honest-to-God wand. A small, white, wooden stick about 10 inches long flipped down into her palm and she raised it to his forehead. A cream colored light flashed from the tip and before the afterimage had faded from his eyes, Harry's headache had vanished.

Again he could only gape at her. "What the bloody hell…?"

"You should probably sit down. This…this might take a while, Harry," she said wincing. Rose led him back to his chair and lightly pushed him into it. He lived alone so he only had the one on the patio. He had lifted halfway back out of the seat to grab her one from inside when she waved her _magic_ wand again and a small wooden rocking chair was suddenly on his porch in front of him. The wand vanished back up her sleeve and Rose sat down. The entire spectacle had been performed without her hand ever having left his own.

"Fairy godmother," Harry muttered snorting ruefully at the irony of the day. "If I'm not dreaming," he stated very slowly, "then please start explaining how I seem to have stepped into a Harry Potter novel."

Rose's face lit up with another smile and she nodded hurriedly. "Oh you read those? Good. That makes this a lot easier actually."

"If you're about to tell me magic is real I think I got that part down," Harry muttered weakly.

"Well, yeah, I kinda figured," Rose said chuckling. "It is by the way. You can do it to. Sorta. Not yet at least. Once I finish getting the block off your memories you should be able to at least. We think. Ella says the theory is sound but…well it's not like we've gone looking for other test cases to make sure."

Harry scowled and narrowed his eyes. "Rose, you are not making any sense at all. Beginning please."

Rose winced again she shifted back ever so slightly. Harry felt his stomach clench again but this time he was the one to squeeze her hand in reassurance. "Sorry," he said. "Can you start with how you're my sister? I know I'm adopted so I suppose I might be able to see that but…well my parents were always very clear that I was an only child."

A dark scowl flitted across Rose's face before she schooled it back to neutrality. "No, you're not an only child. We grew up together, Harry. We were together for almost fifteen years. _They_ took you! They _mind raped_ you! They tried to essentially _kill_ you! I've been looked for you ever since. It's taken me almost ten years, but I _finally found you_!"

Harry opened his mouth to try and respond to that but finding nothing suitable was forced to close it. His nightmare sprang to the surface again, a stone circular room with figures cloaked in black arrayed all around him, as a pink toad and a green hat laughed at him. _"Rose! Get off me! Rose!"_ His head twinged, but thankfully it didn't get any worse. "Can you try to expand a bit? _Please_?"

"Ugh, Morgana I'm making a mess of this," Rose muttered. "I'm sorry, Harry. I've practiced this speech a thousand, thousand times, but when I saw you I just forgot everything and now I'm making this so much worse for you than it has to be…Alright, let's try this again." She paused and took a deep breath. "Do you remember in the fifth Harry Potter book how there was a trial for the hero with a corrupt court system?"

He nodded. "Of course. Minister Dodge and Madame Tart led the charge."

Rose smirked. "You know I always did love how that woman butchered the names trying to keep the theme. Their real names were Minister Fudge and Madame Umbridge. Or as Ella calls her, _The Pink Toad also known as Umbitch also known as Centaur Plaything_. Well developed sense of revenge that girl has. It was a bit difficult to get Bane to slow down enough that we could question Umbitch again about where you were but – ah shite, I'm doing it again. You were always the one to stop me when I started going off on tangents."

Rose shook her head while Harry just stared in confusion. "Okay look, long story short, you were the Harry Potter from the story. Except lots of stuff got changed after I sent Rowling my notes. The biggest and most important thing to us is that you _lost_ that trial, Harry. You lost and they exiled you from the Wizarding World. But that wasn't good enough for the bastards," she snarled, clutching his hands like a lifeline. Harry frowned deeper and rubbed one thumb over the back of her hand as more desperate cries threatened to intrude on his mind again.

"How does one get exiled from magic?" he asked.

"They obliviated you," Rose said tears falling from the corners of her eyes. "They wiped your mind, sealing anything having to do with magic behind a giant mental wall. At our age, if you can't remember magic, you can't _do_ magic. If it was just that it, it wouldn't have been so bad. We grew up Muggle so I would've been able to track you easily enough. But no, that _bitch_ had to go even further! She thought it wasn't good enough that Harry Potter, Public Hero Number One, was convicted of a felony and exiled. No, Merlin forbid somebody wanted to search for him and try to bring him back! What if someone wanted to use him as a figurehead to overthrow her _precious Cornelius_!" Rose had to stop for a moment as she tried to slow her breathing and quiet her voice.

Harry just kept rubbing circles on her hand and reached up his free hand to wipe away some of her tears. "It's okay, Rose. Can you keep going?"

She smiled a watery grin at him and nodded. "Sorry, when I think of Umbitch I just want to kill her all over again. The point is, she didn't have the bollocks to kill you outright – thank Morgana for that! But she did need to ensure you were gone where no one could ever use you against the administration. So she had false memories implanted into you and she dumped you with some family she picked up off the street, mind raped them too so that they thought they'd adopted you as a baby and sent all three of you off to the arse-end of the world." Rose scowled again. "She was smart about it too. She had the one guy who actually dropped you off killed and obliviated the rest, including herself. Her spell was patchy though. Gabrielle and I eventually managed to get the names of who she'd used after Bane broke her mind."

Harry frowned at that. He should probably feel some sort of sorrow or disappointment at the seemingly casual mention of torture and murder from his supposed sister, yet…all he could feel was pride that the girl in front of him had stood up for herself – and him apparently – and took care of the problem in front of her. "Why am I not chastising you over this?" Harry murmured.

Rose shook her head with a small smile. "Because you love me and this is the first time I was able to fight back without you there beside me." Harry had meant the question rhetorically, but…that sounded right. He shuddered slightly at the incongruity of that feeling. Rose quickly moved on before he could ask anything else. "Anyway, breaking through the blocks on the minions was easy enough. Ella broke through one with her Allure while I got the other with an overpowered Legilimency probe. From there we had a name and a country. It took us another year to find you after that. Australia is…big. Really freaking big. Do you have any idea of just how many Harry P. Smiths there are in this place? 10,652; you're number 6,285."

Harry's mouth dropped open. "God…"

"Yeah. That was fun. But…I found you," Rose's voice dropped into a wondrous tone. "I really _found_ you! _Harry_!" Rose lost all of her composure and jumped forward wrapping her arms around him. "Don't ever leave me again, Harry," he heard her murmur into his chest as her tears seeped into his shirt. "Don't ever leave me again."

Harry could only wrap his arms around her in a protective cocoon. For the first time that he could remember…he felt whole. "I'm not going anywhere, Rosy."

* * *

Harry leaned against the counter in his kitchen with his arms crossed as he stared at Rose sitting across from him and eating a sandwich. "So…why isn't Gabrielle coming inside?" he asked nodding towards the door.

"She wanted to let us have our space," Rose answered between bites. "This is really good. Did you cook this?"

"Always cook my own food," he nodded.

She smiled and dug back in swallowing for continuing. "Ella's almost more nervous than I was. You two only really got to interact for a few months and she still looked like a nine year old back then. We weren't even sure if you'd remember her to be honest."

"I don't know if I remember you," he stated bluntly.

Rose smirked and stood up enough to pat his hand before dropping back into her seat. "You remember me. Otherwise you'd be freaking out. Anyway, Ella was a huge help after the trial when they…when they took you. I fell apart. I always fell apart when you were gone. I've gotten a bit better, but it's still a struggle."

Harry frowned. "That's why you look so thin…"

"Yeah," Rose said wincing. "It's hard to justify eating sometimes. Ella makes sure I get enough to keep from getting sick though. She found me after the trial and started helping me to look for you. She was the only one who seemed to even care that you were gone. Dumbledore made lots of speeches, but when Voldemort popped back up and started making a mess of things he had bigger concerns. Tonks tried to help for a bit. She sent some leads to me which was honestly a lot more than I had expected. After Greyback started going after kids though, she switched to tracking him down. I couldn't really blame her as much as I wanted to. Sirius was going to help until Kreacher got him killed. Don't worry, Ella and I took care of the little traitor."

Rose stopped to finish her sandwich and lick her fingers clean. "Nobody else really cared. Weasley rubbed it in my face for a few weeks until I snapped. He was in the hospital wing for a month; git was lucky I missed with the last spell…Hermione was sympathetic, but she was too worried about getting her family out of the country to waste time looking for a dead man. Her words not mine. She was convinced Umbitch had killed you. We stopped talking before I found out for sure you were alive. Last I heard she had a nice little business set up in the States."

Rose leaned back and cast an appreciative smile towards the door and the car outside. "Ella on the other hand…well Ella never gave up hope. When I could barely get dressed she kept pushing me on. She made sure that we never lost focus. We dropped out of school and finished our studies on our own while we kept searching. It was hard, but it was infinitely better than the alternative."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "She'd do all that for a guy she knew for a few months? Seems a little unrealistic."

Rose shrugged. "She said you were her hero. Saving her from the lake make a huge impression and she decided right then and there that she would do whatever it took to make sure you were happy. Veela are like that it seems. There's more to it but we can get into that later."

Rose paused and bit her lip as she stared up at Harry. Slowly she clasped her hands in front of her on the table. "Harry, you do you believe all this right?"

"I…I want to," he murmured. "Who doesn't want to believe they actually live in a fantasy world right? But…well it's a bit much. I mean…magic? Harry Potter? Mind wipes? It's just…"

"I understand," Rose whispered. She sighed. "So what makes you hesitant to dismiss me as crazy?"

"Well you don't _sound_ crazy for one," he said snorting in amusement. "You sound perfectly lucid and you definitely believe everything you're saying."

"So the whole conjuring a chair out of air has nothing to do with it," she commented with a rueful grin.

Harry groaned. "Well, that's certainly a point in your favor. I'm no magician, but I think that's a feat that would have David Blaine green with envy. Another thing is that you sorta look like a girl I see in my nightmares sometimes. And I have a lot of…quirks," Harry said grimacing. "Quirks that make a bit more sense in the context of what you're saying."

"And…" she prompted.

Harry shrugged rubbing the back of his neck. "And I don't mind you touching me," he admitted. "I stiffen when my _parents_ hug me and have to force myself to shake people's hands yet you I seem to have no issues with. That's probably the single best thing going for your story right now."

Rose laughed. "You have it easy. I don't mind people touching me, but I can't even think about sex. Hell I've only gotten laid twice since you were taken and poor Ella wasn't exactly left satisfied either time."

Harry started to roll his eyes before the implications of that statement worked into him and he froze. "Wait. I thought you said we were twins."

"We are."

"But, you just implied…you and me?" The look of fright that passed through her face was enough to confirm it for him. "Oh bloody hell! What kind of monster was I…why would you even want to come and look for – " he cut off as a red blur slammed into his chest and wrapped her arms around him.

"Stop," she commanded. "You were not a monster, Harry. You _protected_ me from the monsters. You almost killed Vernon once to protect me and I've lost count of the amount of times that he almost killed you. That's not even bothering to count the times with Draco or Crabbe or Flint. I'll explain everything to you if I have to but can we put this conversation off until later? Please? It's…it sounds bad even in the Wizarding World and I want you to remember how we grew up before trying to justify it. I don't want you to look at me and be disgusted…Please just…just wait okay? Please?"

Harry knew he should feel even worse with the way she was clinging to him yet every fiber of his being was claiming that this was the way things were always supposed to be. There was a very real possibility of his body mutinying if he tried to do anything beside nod and hold her tighter. "Okay, Rose. I'm sorry for upsetting you. Can we get back to the story then instead?"

She nodded into his chest though before she could do anything else the front door opened and Gabrielle walked in. Her silver hair streamed down to the middle of her back and her clothes were form fitting, showing off a toned, athletic figure. Her blue eyes met Harry's and she briefly smiled shyly before looking down to Rose. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but, Rose, they're in the city. Celeste just spotted them portkeying in."

Rose pulled back from Harry cursing. His eyebrows rose at her colorful language and he made note of some of the choicer phrases to use later. "So much for having a day's head start. How long you figure, Ella?"

"Two hours tops," the other girl said grimacing. "If you're going to do the ritual then it's going to take almost half that to set up. I'm sorry…"

Rose scowled again and turned to eye Harry. He shifted his weight uncomfortably and asked, "Who's coming? The Minister's people?"

Rose sighed and shook her head. "After a fashion, but no, not really. Voldemort was content to leave me alone for years. He probably thought – correctly – that I would manage to track you down if left to my own devices. He wasn't the one to kidnap you after all. Now that I actually _did_ find you though he can't just leave you alive. Unfortunately he's also the legitimate government in Britain now so his minions have diplomatic immunity here.

"Where we go from here follows one of three paths, Harry. I had hoped to have a bit more time before this all came up so that you could have all the information before choosing…"

"What are the options?" Harry asked casting his eyes around the room looking for anything that might be useful if it came to a fight. He had a rifle in the den, but would that even work against wizards?

Rose winced and said slowly, "Well the first choice is for me and Ella to leave. I'd adjust your memory so that you had no idea we existed. The upside is that you get to live a normal life. You'd get to continue on and – "

"Next," Harry said curtly utterly dismissing such a choice.

Gabrielle chuckled and waggled her eyebrows. "Told you he'd think that was crazy. Just because he can't remember you doesn't mean he's going to abandon you, Rosy."

Rose's cheeks were blazing red as she nodded mutely. "Option 2 is to try and remove the block on your memories and then fight. We might have to go back to Britain and kill the man himself in order to make sure it actually ends…those odds of success are rather low. Like I said, he _is_ Britain now and has been for years."

Harry nodded. "Okay, what's the third choice?"

"Um…well, it starts off similar to Option 2 but…well I think I have a ritual that we could use to bounce us back to our fourteenth birthday. It's a risk, but the theory is sound. Any further back and we could damage the timestream too much or worse, get ourselves killed trying to save Sirius. Even if your memories are still locked I think I could reasonably finish taking care of most of the major problems during that summer. We might have to wait until the end of the Tournament to officially clear Sirius, but that's relatively easy going in knowing what to expect. If – Morgana forbid – we can't get you any magic at all, well I'll just polyjuice into you for the Tasks."

Harry stared blankly at her. "Time travel. You can time travel."

Gabrielle winced. "More like time throw really. It's just a consciousness thing. Your memories would be tossed back along a closed timelike curve. I, uh, kinda melded magic and physics and got something rather unholy in the mashup. The downside is that if I did the calculation wrong, well you could create a micro black hole that destroys a large chunk of the planet before eating itself into nonexistence."

Harry's mouth dropped open and he was speechless for a few moments as he processed that. "That a pretty big 'risk'," he said weakly. The lack of alcohol seriously seemed like a poor life choice at the moment.

"She's selling herself short," Rose said shrugging. "Ella is basically a genius. Half the spells I use these days are ones that she invented combining Muggle and Magical stuff. It'll work."

Harry shifted his gaze between the two. Finally after several long seconds he sighed. "Screw it, in for a penny in for a pound. Let's go with the unholy magitech time throw option."

* * *

Rose was busy painting a series of runic symbols onto his naked torso half an hour later when Harry thought to ask another question about their soon to be executed 'plan'. "Rose, if you can throw your consciousness back in time already why haven't you done it yet?"

"What do you mean?" she asked dabbing a dot onto his side and shifting to the left slightly.

"You've been looking for me for ten years right? So if this time leap thing is so safe why exactly haven't you already jumped back instead of waiting to find me?"

Rose's brush stopped for just long enough that Harry took notice and Gabrielle scrutinized her papers much closer than a moment earlier. " _Rose_ …"

"Okay, so maybe the chances of this working correctly are closer to 60/40 than 99/1," she murmured. "I was perfectly willing to get my revenge, let Britain bend themselves over, find you and live out the rest of our lives here on a farm or something. I had zero issues with that. If Voldemort was willing to just leave us the hell alone he could do whatever he bloody well pleases to Britain. It's not like it's my home or anything. You're my home. I didn't want to risk using the ritual and potentially having it go wrong and killing you when there was a still good chance that we could just have a nice peaceful life after I eventually found you."

Harry looked to Gabrielle and raised his eyebrows in a silent question. She sighed and nodded. "What she said. I was never particularly interesting in going on this trip to begin with. I always made the calculations for two minds but it was always intended for her and you. I'm not particularly useful in a nine year old body. I hate being Veela sometimes…Plus if we went back, you'd be a 14 year old in a 14 year old body while we'd be 20-something in 14 year old bodies. That's not exactly a balanced relationship no matter how you swing it."

Gabrielle shuddered a bit and continued. "And what if you went off the rails too early? What if you didn't believe us? Going back by ourselves was a backup plan sure but it was never a primary option. I feel a bit bad for the innocents that Voldemort hurt which is why I'm not actually arguing against using this ritual, but I'm also not in any huge hurry to roll this particular set of dice. The odds of it working without a hitch kind of suck. And from what Rose has told me, your luck tends to make these sorts of things go worse rather than better. These English _enfoirés_ coming after us are rather forcing our hand."

"Suddenly I'm liking Option 2 better…" Harry muttered. Rose smiled up and patted his cheek.

"Too late," she said standing to review her work. Nodding appreciatively she smiled. "Done. And we can't easily get away by this point. They'll be watching the ways out of the country now, both magical and mundane. Buck up, Ella's a genius, it'll work!"

Gabrielle glared darkly at the red-head. "Says the girl who doesn't care if she destroys the world as long as she dies with her brother."

Harry glanced between the two. "Can we try to restore my memories please before I start having even more second thoughts about this?"

Rose nodded. "Sure. I'll start in on it while Ella does my runes. You remember Legilimency from the books? JK made it a bit more sensational, but the fundamentals are the same. I'm going to dive into your mind and tear down the wall the Obliviations built up. Are you ready, Harry?"

He sat down cross-legged and nodded. "Go ahead."

Rose knelt in front of him and stared into his eyes. Harry felt himself falling and a blur of images passed across his vision. His familiar nightmare with the pink toad and the green hat came into focus, the toad resolving into a short woman who still looked remarkably like an amphibian and the hat morphed into a portly, officious man sneering at him. The two swirled away into the abyss of his mind and a giant black void loomed ahead. Harry's nerves lighted on fire and his migraine flared to life stronger than ever before. He fell towards the void, crying and screaming carried by the wind whipping past his ears too fast for him to make out the words.

Just when he felt he couldn't take any more, the blackness he fell through was split with cracks of white light. The cracks spread and as they did part of the pain in his head receded. A leering, fat face flew up out of one of the lighted areas. The face had a bulging purple vein on the temple and spittle flew from its mouth. Harry felt rage and fear clench around his heart and he screamed.

His cry cut off as his head banged onto the floor behind him. "Ow…"

A groan from Rose had him rolling over to peer across at her. Her shirt was off and there were red runes painted all over her body with a few looping up under her bra and continuing on. She was rubbing her head and Gabrielle was looking at both of them with a frown on her face. "That didn't sound good."

Rose shook her head, wincing. "It's fine. I got at the core of the spell remnants before we were kicked out. Fuck. I forgot how much I hate that man."

"That face…that was…that was, Vernon? Right? Our…Uncle? Ow, my head is killing me." Harry froze and sat up straight his eyes widening. "Rosy?"

A wide, pearly smile split her lips and Rose nodded. "You back brother?"

"Somewhat…I'm not sure…I believe you completely now by the way," he finished with a small answering smile of his own.

Rose reached out to grasp his hand reassuringly. "Don't worry, Harry. The cracks will spread and when you go to sleep it should shatter completely. By this time tomo-by this time August 1st 1994, you should have most of your memories back."

He nodded smiling. For the first time he could remember, the prospect of sleeping was something to look forward to instead of dread.

"Guys, we have to start this thing," Gabrielle said standing. "You were in there a lot longer than we'd planned for. We should hurry."

Rose hurriedly stood up and held out her hand to pull Harry up. As he got to his feet, he stopped to just look her. Disjointed memories flowed through his mind and Rose Lily Potter was always at the center of them. He may not remember exactly who he was, but he remembered standing next to his sister through it all. "Thanks for coming for me, Rosy."

"Always, Harry. Always." She leaned forward just enough to lightly brush his lips with her own. "Come on."

He followed Rose and Gabrielle out into his backyard and momentarily scowled in annoyance. Every one of the stones ringing his garden had been scavenged and moved into a runic circle a few feet behind the house. "I spent ages getting that garden landscaped. You couldn't have brought your own rocks?"

Gabrielle blushed and mumbled, "Sorry, I didn't really expect this house to be the right one so I didn't pack them…thought it was too remote."

"Harry, they're all going to be gone in a few minutes anyway. Whether we wind up back in Surrey or whether we die via black hole, the garden isn't going to matter," Rose said chuckling.

Harry scowled deeper and stepped over the improvised runes. "It's the principal of the matter. How do we do this thing?"

Rose gently moved him into a smaller circle inscribed in the dirt and then shifted to another next to him. "Just stand there. Ella, whenever you're ready."

"Do me a favor and make sure the younger me stops fangirling?" Gabrielle asked with a grin. For the first time, Harry noticed that it didn't quite reach her eyes. "And remember, I may look nine, but I'm actually 13 so please, whatever you do, don't treat me like a kid."

Harry saw Rose frown and he wasn't surprised to find himself doing the same. "Rose, can we…"

"Bloody hell, why not?" she stated nodding. "Ella get – " A series of pops from the front yard had her cutting off. "Bastards! Two minutes! Two fucking minutes!"

"Charging!" Gabrielle started chanting and Rose quickly joined in. Harry saw the outer circle start to brighten as he heard a muffled explosion from the front and a plume of smoke drifted up over the roof from the driveway. The inner circles started to illuminate and a crash from inside the house rang out. The chanting reverberated through the air and Harry suddenly found it hard to breathe. The space around him seemed to distort and curve, only Rose remaining in focus. The back door exploded outward as Rose and Gabrielle reached the final verse in their ritual.

Cutting off the last note, Rose's hand shot out and grabbed Gabrielle yanking the Veela into the inner circle just as the entire world dropped into oblivion.

* * *

Harry opened his eyes taking in a gulp of air and nearly choking as liquid rushing into his mouth. His first thought was that something had gone horribly wrong and he'd landed in the ocean and was about to drown. His second thought was confusion on how he could still breathe despite gulping down water with each breath. His third thought was _Lake_.

Something had gone wrong, but he wasn't in the Atlantic or the Channel. He was in the Black Lake floating in front of his sister tied to a pillar and surrounded by Merpeople. _Gillyweed. Second Task._ Scattered memories flew together as he remembered eating the magical plant prior to starting this insane Task for the Tournament. He tried to take a moment to orient himself and glanced back at Rose.

That was when he saw her eyes flutter open and her mouth clamp shut in shock and terror. Rose was a hundred feet underwater and awake.

He didn't pause. His wand jerked up and a wave of energy lashed out from the tip. He couldn't remember the name of spell he'd used, but whatever it was had worked. The kelp ropes tying Rose to the pillar floated away and he reached out for her arm. Twisting Harry looked for Gabrielle worried that with Rose waking up Ella would be –

Gabrielle was one pillar over and struggling against the ropes. Two Merpeople looked at each other in confusion before starting to swim forward to help. Harry beat them both there. His wand slashed out again and the ropes tying Gabrielle were gone. Pocketing his wand, Harry grabbed one girl in each arm and started kicking towards the surface. Thankfully neither was dead weight and both swam along with him easing the burden on his sore muscles. It seemed to take forever, though the swim couldn't have taken more than two minutes. Finally, just as his gills and webbed fins started to vanish, Harry broke the surface.

Gasping for air Rose and Gabrielle's heads popped up immediately after. " _Mon dieu_ , why would you _do_ zat?! All of ze calculations were for only two not zree! I didn't even 'ave a circle! You could 'ave blown up ze Earth!" Gabrielle gasped clutching Harry's neck to keep afloat and glaring at Rose.

Rose did her best to shrug nonchalantly while treading water. "You stuck with my crazy arse for ten years. I couldn't just abandon you in the last ten minutes. Sucks about the disrupted timing though. Guess we'll have to sneak away from the castle now to finish things off."

"Argue later," Harry said breathing hard. "Swim now. This water is freezing! Ella hold on tight."

"I _hate_ being small!" she growled into his ear clutching to him tighter.


	2. Some Things Change, Some Things Remain the Same

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Word of warning, the Dursleys are going to be treated as far more abusive than in canon. The reasons for this won't be readily apparent as I'm staying almost solely in Harry, Rose and Gabrielle's viewpoints. Harry and/or Rose will eventually comment on just why the Dursleys are the way they are, but that doesn't happen here. For now, just know that it's more than it seems on the surface.

**Chapter 2: Some Things Change, Some Things Remain the Same**

Harry was panting with exhaustion by the time he managed to drag himself and Gabrielle ashore. The Veela girl was shivering so hard her teeth were chattering and her fingers had locked around his neck tight enough to mildly choke him as her weight left the water. Harry couldn't blame her. He shuffled the last few feet up the shoreline so that they were fully on dry land and immediately felt Gabrielle release him and drop to the ground. He knelt beside her and draped an arm over the girl while Rose fell to their other side and also joined the group embrace.

"Sorry," Gabrielle mumbled between shivers. "So. Cold."

Rose just squeezed the other two tighter. "Pomfrey's already coming down screaming and I see your sister right behind her," she murmured.

"I only remember bits and pieces at the moment so one of you please tell me that not everything in this world is as stupid as tossing teenagers into freezing waters in February," Harry said scowling at the faculty members running towards them.

"This is one of the saner ideas," Rose said chuckling. "Though considering I just risked creating a black hole on a whim I probably shouldn't be talking."

Harry sighed. "Yeah, well I asked if she could come first, so Ella's probably the sanest of everyone in the area."

"Gabi in front of the others," Gabrielle murmured. "Ella is for you two only. And only in private. I'm going to have to remember to use ze accent for a few weeks. Damn you both!" She glared momentarily at the twins before all three broke down into easy laughter.

"The lake in February! What are these idiots _thinking_?!" Pomfrey's angry voice rang through them. Another person with sense nearby! Before Harry could even raise his head to smile at the nurse, warmth spread throughout his entire body. Finally glancing up, he saw the mediwitch's wand twirling over both him and his friends. "Just lucky none of them have frostbite!"

"Gabrielle!" a silver missile shot out from behind Pomfrey and collided with the smallest in their little huddle. Harry found himself on the ground squashed against Rose with Gabrielle pushed into his chest. Fleur was on top of everyone, her arms wrapped around Gabrielle and tears streaming down her cheeks. " _Est-ce que tu es blessée? Est-ce que ça va? Pardonnes-moi, j'ai suis tombée dans une embuscade et je n'ai pas pu venir jusqu'à toi!_ " Fleur sobbed. Harry just blinked in confusion at the mass of French. He had learned some Latin during university, but had never really had much practice in French beyond a few key phrases.

Rose squirmed out of the pile and reached over to pat Fleur awkwardly on the back. "She's fine. We both woke up under the water, but Harry got us out pretty quick." Harry was too concerned with Gabrielle to try and explain from his perspective. Not that his explanation would be much better – _Yeah, we tried to time jump and wound up a few months late and underwater. My bad._

Gabrielle had gone surprisingly stiff as Fleur clung to her and when Harry met her eyes he saw a reflection of the familiar plea for help all too often shining from his sister's gaze. He didn't know the whole story about Gabrielle's relationship with her family, but the strained aspect obviously hadn't been apparent at this point. They needed to distract Fleur long enough for Gabrielle to get her bearings.

"Fleur, could you give us a bit of room. I think Gabrielle is a bit overwhelmed," Harry said gently.

Fleur gasped and quickly pulled back. " _Oui_. Gabi, I am right here. I-I just..." Fleur broke off crying harder. "I am so _sorry_!"

Rose subtly shifted closer and squeezed Gabrielle's leg and Harry finally saw the younger girl begin to relax. "It eez alright, Fleur," Gabrielle said. She carefully extracted herself from Harry's lap and stood, accepting the towel offered by Madame Pomfrey. "My knight, saved me from ze waters. 'e was amazing!"

"Which is totally true," Rose whispered helping Harry to stand. "Barely back with me for an hour and already saving me again." Reaching up she lightly kissed his cheek and snaked a hand down to clench his own. "Now for the fireworks."

Fleur hugged Gabrielle again as shouting erupted from the direction of the Headmasters standing just behind Pomfrey. Harry lifted an eyebrow at the heated exchanges in mixed French and English and as he pushed slightly to the side he noticed two people berating Dumbledore and the…the…Harry scowled at not being able to remember the half-giantess Beauxbatons Headmistress' name. That brought up his inability to remember the half-giant Hogwarts groundskeeper's name as well. Taking a moment to push down his annoyance and frustration Harry breathed a deep sigh. Taking a nap was apparently going to be a priority. He _really_ needed to start getting these memories sorted out…

Rose squeezed his hand again and when Harry turned to look at her she smiled. "Maxime. Her name is Maxime." Harry's stared at her in mild shock for a moment before shaking his head in amusement.

"You were always better at that than me," he murmured. Rose gave a small shrug and smirked wider in acknowledgment. Harry coughed loudly and winced. It was apparently enough to draw Pomfrey's attention back to him as the healer turned and started casting more diagnostics.

"Why didn't you say you were having trouble breathing, Potter? Water in the lungs! Honestly! First dragons and now this! When I find whose bright idea these Tasks were…" Pomfrey thrust a potion into his hands and watched carefully as Harry consumed it. Drawing her wand again she asked, "Just how much did you end up inhaling, Potter?"

Harry shrugged already feeling better. "Not too much. A bit after the gills vanished and before we reached the surface. It's really not that bad."

Pomfrey huffed and crossed her arms. "Any water in the lungs is potentially bad, Mr. Potter. That potion should heal any damage and I've vanished the remaining liquid. However, Miss Potter, keep a careful eye on him and if he continues to cough after another hour bring him straight to me."

Rose nodded and threaded her arm through his leading to a rolling of the eyes from the afflicted party. "Got it covered, Madam!"

Finally, the shouting diminished and the elder Delacours moved in to embrace Gabrielle while Dumbledore stepped forward. "Harry, perhaps you could tell us what transpired during the Task? This situation seems most unusual."

Harry glared at the man and raised his eyebrows. It wasn't too hard to feign annoyance; this old man had apparently abandoned him to the Ministry kangaroo court rather than try and do anything to save him. "All I know is that after I got there Rose started to wake up. I cut her loose and saw that Gabrielle was waking up too so I grabbed her also and got to the surface as fast as possible. Your spells didn't seem to hold too well, Sir. Considering that both are in their pajamas I'm forced to wonder whether either was even asked if they were willing to participate."

The pained look on Dumbledore's face was answer enough to that question. It did quite a lot to assuage his mild pang of guilt at blaming the man for the consequences of their time travel shenanigans. "This was a failure on the judges' part indeed," Dumbledore said softly. "As I have just reassured Mr. and Mrs. Delacour, we will be certain to investigate the situation to determine why the protection failed."

A cry of pain rang out nearby and Rose and Harry both jerked their heads to the side. Gabrielle had fallen to the ground and wrapped her arms around her stomach. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her teeth were clenched. Apolline was beside her in an instant gently holding her shoulders while her father just looked at them both astonished. Fleur's mouth hung open slightly and she muttered confused, "Ze Change? Already? She is far too young…zis doesn't make sense…"

Rose grimaced and leaned up enough to whisper into Harry's ear. "Well at least she won't be small for too much longer now. Give it about a month and Gabi will look older than both of us. If her parents don't accept something about the stress involved she might have to tell them about the Bond right off to explain this."

"Bond?" Harry whispered back.

Rose's grimaced increased though she shook her head. "Later. Forgot I didn't get to explain that before."

Harry sighed and nodded his assent. Gabrielle grimaced and looked up at her parents. "Maman, Papa, privacy please. Yell at ze 'eadmistress and 'eadmaster later."

"Of course, Gabi. Come on. We'll take you home," her father said helping her to stand.

Gabrielle froze, her eyes briefly met Harry's and Rose before she started shaking her head violently enough that her entire body swayed. "No! Not 'ome! I want to stay wiz Fleur! She 'as gone through zis recently!"

That seemed to jolt the older sister out of her shock because she hurriedly nodded and moved to Gabrielle's side. "Of course. I'll show you my room, Gabi." As she was led away, Gabrielle briefly made eye contact with Harry and rolled her eyes. It was all he could do to avoid laughing and from the way Rose's hand clenched next to him, he knew his sister was having the same issue.

"Well, now that the excitement seems to have ended…" Dumbledore said, a damnable twinkle entering his eyes. "Let us assemble all of the Champions by the dock and as soon as Miss Delacour returns we can announce the scores!"

* * *

The scores came as no surprise even to one who didn't remember the original allotment. Harry walked away with a 49 having a single point deducted for getting directions to the center of the village from Moaning Myrtle. Harry felt that was fair as it was technically involving someone from outside the contest. He was amused to note that contrary to the events depicted in the fiction he'd read, he'd actually been _last_ to arrive at the hostages…well discounting Fleur who had still gotten into a nearly fatal tangle with Grindylows, kelpies and hippocampi requiring rescue via Giant Squid. Cedric took second place barely beating out Krum while Fleur got bonus points for surviving her ordeal 'despite unhealthy odds'.

Shrugging off the attentions of his classmates Harry walked back to the Common Room with Rose sticking right next to him though they had stopped holding hands and returned to the 'normal' behavior presented to Hogwarts as a whole. They had barely entered the room when shouts of congratulations rang out and butterbeers were thrust into their hands.

"Harry!" Cedric exclaimed pushing through the throng of badgers to clap him on the back. "Good show, mate! I can't believe Dumbledore's spells wore off part-way through. I suppose I could see it affecting the young Veela girl differently, but to fade on Rose too? It's a good thing you got there when you did."

"So you're talking to us again then?" Rose asked curtly. Harry saw the way her weight shifted and her fingers flexed. Brief flashes of Cedric sneering at them and Hufflepuffs avoiding them en masse floated to the surface of Harry's mind. "No longer interested in playing the jilted glory-hound jock?"

Cedric shuffled back and forth and shrugged. "Yeah, um…well look, we've all been right arses yeah?" he mumbled. "I'm sorry I haven't asked anyone to rein it in before. It's just hard knowing you're fighting against Harry Potter. I mean, that didn't really work out so well for me last time right? Puffs are supposed to stick together and we all just thought that maybe you'd…you know with the past few years and all it seemed reasonable…What I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry. We all are. Harry, we know you'd never get into something that might hurt Rose."

"Funny how it took you this long to realize that," Harry said glaring at the older boy. "Considering that's the only reason we're in this House to begin with: loyalty to each other. Like I'd seriously risk getting killed in this Tournament and leaving her alone."

"You can talk all you want Cedric, but if you want to actually apologize, _act_ like you mean it," Rose snarled. "When we stop having to study in the library until curfew to avoid you lot or when we can avoid having to ward our beds every night maybe then we'll believe it."

Flashes of studying with Hermione, Susan and Neville along with…with…a girl with two first names…Harry grimaced and held a hand to his head. Rose immediately stopped talking and took hold of his forearm. "Look, thank you for the apology. I do really hope you mean it, but we'll reserve judgment on that for the moment. Right now I'm getting Harry to bed. That Task took a lot out of him, almost drowning and all. Hell, it took a lot out of me and all I had to do was swim to the shore after panicking a bit."

Cedric winced and nodded. A space opened up for them and Rose led Harry to the stairs to his dorm. It was thankfully completely empty as they walked in and sat on his bed. Harry flopped back and ran a hand over his forehead. "Thanks, Rosy. These memory flashes are far too much like those damn migraines I used to get."

"You need to sleep, Harry," Rose said taking his glasses off and placing them on the side table. "It'll help tear the cracks wide open. I think. It should. Ella came up with that procedure too and…well you've seen her stuff works as designed."

Harry sighed and cracked an eye open. "Do you use _anything_ normal? There's got to be an easier method of undoing an Oblivation."

Rose grimaced. "There um…might have been but uh, well I really only got through Fifth Year before dropping out to find you and Ella left with me so she had to study for her O.W.L.s on her own and…well our official schooling really isn't that far beyond yours," she finished in a rush.

Harry's eyebrows climbed into his hairline and he sat up to stare at her. "What?"

"Look, let's talk when I get back, okay?"

"Fine. You still have the…the uh…Cloak! You still have the Cloak in your trunk right?" Harry asked smiling as the vision of the item slotted into place as well as their general usage of it.

Rose snorted in amusement. "Of _course_ I still have it. I'll be back in five minutes." Waving, she walked out and Harry flopped back onto the bed. Groaning he reached down to pull off his shoes, but only got one before his head started aching again.

The night the Goblet spat out his name swam in front of his eyes…

* * *

"Harry James Potter," Rose sighed pushing off from her position against the wall. "Just what am I going to do with you?"

Harry walked out of the chamber the Champions had been shepherded into and ran a hand through his hair. "Well I'm stuck with this Tournament apparently. No one was willing to stand up and say that the whole thing was a wash and try again."

"Did you ask if they'd make the Tasks something stupid like marbles and have three _real_ Tasks for the _actual_ Champions?" Rose asked frowning.

"Of course I did. I thought I was going to get murdered as soon as it came out of my mouth. Cedric appeared to be leading the charge on that one, shouting about a disgrace to tradition." Harry's frown turned into a scowl that was quickly directed in the direction the older Puff had vanished into. "So much for Hufflepuffs always stick together."

Rose sighed and wrapped him in a hug leaning her head against his shoulder. "We've always known they would fully turn on us eventually. Between the dragon first year, Hermione's study group trumping 'The Badger Corner', Snape's continuous persecution, the Heir of Slytherin suspicions and the bullshite about Sirius 'threatening' Hannah last year…not to mention whatever the hell gets Lavender and Hannah into a twist. So we're alone. It's nothing new."

Harry felt himself relaxing somewhat and pulled back kissing the top of Rose's head. "Thanks, Rosy. You know this is probably just Voldemort trying to get me killed or maneuvered into a trap or something right?"

"Of course it is," Rose said smiling. "A trap only works when you're not expecting though. So we just have to train you even harder this year!"

Harry groaned and slapped a hand to his head. "The horror! No more! No more, Mistress Potter!" he cried theatrically.

Rose laughed and playfully slapped his forearm. "Come on, we should go ward our beds servant. Oh, by the way, Hermione let me know that she's going to draw up a schedule of stuff for you to look at to try and get prepared."

"Really? She's with us?" Harry asked dropping his sarcasm and staring in astonishment at his sister.

Rose shrugged. "Seems that way. We'll see how long she lasts with the rest of the school against us though. I honestly don't think I'll blame her if she bails though. Neville already said he supports us, but doesn't feel comfortable speaking up."

Harry grimaced. "Too bad he doesn't have a sister…"

Rose glared at him. "Not funny, Harry. We're fucked up enough. There's no need to wish someone else was in the same situation."

Harry glared right back at her and shook his head. "You know that's not what I meant, Rose. If he had somebody to stand with him, he wouldn't have these confidence issues."

"So we keep trying to set him up with Hermione!" she said crossing her arms. "One incestuous pair of twins is more than enough for this castle thank you very much."

Harry's lip curled into a small smile. "Just one? Surely the Weasley twins share… _everything_ …"

"Ugh, I did not need that mental picture thank you very much," Rose said shaking her head. "Though…well I guess if Angelina and Alicia were kinky enough I could see them swapping without much difficulty…"

Harry laughed at her thought process, smiling back at her. "I don't get you sometimes. Not interested in guy on guy, but perfectly okay with me bringing up Susan and Hannah."

"Yeah well I have to have to hear those two whenever I actually sleep in my own bed. One day I will figure out how to discreetly mention silencing charms to them without pissing Hannah off," Rose said shrugging.

Harry laughed harder. "Uh huh. You keep telling yourself that, Rosy. Come on, let's go." As they walked off towards the Badger's Den he flashed her a winning smile. "Thanks for cheering me up, sis."

"Always, bro. Always."

* * *

Harry felt a body settle in next to him and he instinctively reached out to wrap an arm around Rose. Sighing in contentment she snuggled in closer. "Thought you were asleep already," she murmured.

"Sorta. Got lost in the night I was chosen," Harry replied. "How long did Hermione keep helping us by the way? That's still fuzzy."

"She never really stopped surprisingly," Rose said. She reached up to idly play with his hair. "The only reason we stopped talking was because she got pretty nasty with her accusations that you were dead and I needed to start living in reality. I feel bad that I got nasty right back at her…especially since she really did make sense. It's just that…well…"

"I know, Rosy. I know," Harry sighed. "We really are screwed up aren't we?"

"Completely," Rose agreed. "And I don't care. I have you back. That's all I care about. You and Ella. We'll finish this thing off, turn Riddle's trap against him and then the three of us can go off and live happily ever after."

Harry frowned and twisted so he could look at her. "Should we have just left her with her family like that? You mentioned that she didn't really get on well with them and I could tell if anything you downplayed it with the way she tensed up when Fleur got there…"

Rose gave a heavy sigh and was quiet for nearly a minute before replying. "How this plays out is up to her. It'll be easier after a fashion now that she's Changing. It's like puberty on steroids for Veela. The way Ella described it, because of the dangers of their full powered Allure, a Veela stays looking childlike until their magic feels that the girl is mature enough mentally to be able to protect herself from male predators. Then their magic…inverts I guess, and they get a massive growth spurt. Basically they go from 9 to 16 in a month and a half. It's weird."

"I don't see how that relates to her family, Rosy…" Harry asked.

"It just means they'll be more likely to take her seriously now rather than dismiss her arguments as those of child." Rose shifted up onto her elbows and kissed Harry's forehead. "Like you and me. We made it clear early on that we were a heck of a lot older mentally than we looked physically."

"Gave us some problems…I think…it did right?"

"Yeah it did," Rose said nodding. "The point is that Ella will now be able to get her family to _listen_. The first time through was bad, because when she chose to support me and help find you they thought she was just being a stupid, infatuated little girl and that she would 'grow out of her childhood rebellion'." Harry winced at that. His relatives – both real and fake – had never cared enough to accuse him of that, but he'd read enough to know how frustrating that could be.

Rose cringed and shook her head as she continued. "Thing is, Ella had already bound herself to you when you saved her from the lake. I don't know many details. You have to ask her. The point is that she chose you and she wasn't going to simply let you go without a fight. She didn't tell her family because it became a principle thing. Ella felt like her family didn't _deserve_ to know she was bound until they started supporting her decisions. They never did so she never told them. I think they were on just a Christmas and Birthday card basis by the time we tracked you down."

"Ouch," Harry winced. His eyes widened and he pushed up to look carefully at Rose. "Is she already bound again then?"

Rose shrugged. "No clue. Ella said it was as much physical as mental so I doubt it carried back through the time leap with us. Whether or not she re-established it once we were on the surface though? We'll have to ask her once she can get away from Fleur and the parents."

Harry sighed and nodded. "It doesn't affect her free will at all if she does re-establish it right?"

"I…I don't think so," Rose hedged. "Harry, I really don't know much. Ella wasn't bound to me. She was bound to you. She tried to tell me a few things, but I always got the sense it really embarrassed her so I never pushed."

"And you worried if you found out too many specifics, you'd manipulate it in order to find me easier," Harry said softly.

Rose looked away quickly though the way her body tensed and the hand that snaked out to wipe her eyes didn't escape Harry's notice. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him. Harry felt her tears land on his chest for several minutes before Rose's quiet sobs slowed. "I didn't want to hurt her like that," Rose said between snuffles. "She was my only friend by then. The only person who was still helping me and standing with me. She was the only one who _cared_! And I would still have used her and her nature to find you if I knew details! I'm _horrible_!"

"No, you're not, Rosy," Harry murmured gently running a hand through her hair. "You're damaged. So am I. Vernon and Petunia did a fantastic job of destroying us and turning us into the freaks they always called us. We're shattered, but we're _not_ broken. Ella knew that just as well as we do or she never would have been able to stay with you for a decade without a buffer. You're not horrible, Rose. You're my sister. You're my other half. We're both hurt, but when we're together you can't see the cracks running through our souls."

Rose gave one final sniffle and shifted so that she was leaning over him. "You always know just what to say," she said giving him a watery smile.

"Same to you, sis," Harry replied.

Leaning down, Rose captured his lips in a hard kiss her tongue playing with his for several long moments. One hand roamed through his messy hair while the other grasped his hand and squeezed hard enough to come just a hair's breadth from pain. Harry felt her groan of satisfaction vibrate through her throat and into his own and he pushed up from the mattress enough to try and draw her in even more. Panting, Rose broke away and gently pushed him back down before lying curled up on his chest. "God, I missed this. As much as we both want to keep going, you really need to sleep, Harry."

"Yeah," he said softly. "We can continue as soon as my mind isn't a jumble."

"It's a date."

* * *

Uncle Vernon was mad. He was beyond mad. The vein on his forehead was bulging and his face was purple. Aunt Petunia was sneering behind him with her arms crossed and a distinctive twitch over her left eye. They were frightening enough that even Dudley had retreated to his room. Harry had never seen them this upset before.

"I warned you, none of this funny business under my roof!" Uncle Vernon screamed, spittle flying everywhere.

Rose cringed back from her place behind Harry as her hand clutched his arm hard enough to hurt. Harry shook his head and slowly stepped backward trying to stay slumped over enough to avoid being a threat, but tall enough to still shield Rose from their relatives. "We don't know how it happened! We're just as scared as you!"

"Scared!? _Scared_!?" The vein bulged even larger than before. Harry started praying that it would explode and his uncle would just drop dead. Petunia hadn't physically hit them in years and she was thin and weak enough that they could probably avoid anything that she tried. Vernon was the dangerous one. "The only one who should be scared is _you_ , you little _freaks_!"

"Are you sure you cut it?" Rose asked softly, her voice quavering. "I didn't think that hair could grow back like that…"

"Rose, shut up," Harry hissed low enough that only she should be able to hear him.

It was too late, the damage had been done. Vernon shifted his eyes from Harry to Rose. " _Are we sure_ ," he mocked. "Petunia chopped it off of both of you herself you little bitch! Or are you calling my wife a liar?"

Harry shook his head hurriedly as Rose pressed herself against him. The shaking in her body was evidence enough to her terror. "That's not what we said, Uncle Vernon! We just said we don't know what happened and that we're confused."

Uncle Vernon's eyes stayed locked onto the space behind Harry and he took a menacing step forward. "I'll tell you what happened. You little freaks used your _unnaturalness_ to undo my wife's work. How many times do I have to beat it out of you until you understand what is _normal_? What is _acceptable_? How many times do I have to starve you and punish you until the message seeps into those tiny, insignificant brains of yours?" Uncle Vernon took another step and Harry backed up appropriately. He started sweating as he felt Rose press against him harder. They were against the stairwell now – there was nowhere else to run.

"Please…we're sorry…we're _sorry_!" Rose whimpered.

"Just lock us in the cupboard," Harry pleaded. "It won't happen again! We'll learn, we promise!"

Uncle Vernon's eyes narrowed into slits as Aunt Petunia lifted her nose into the air. "I don't think you will learn," she said. "It's been nine years since we took you in against all our better judgment. Nine years and you still haven't learned. We obviously haven't been trying hard enough. Haven't been pushing the right buttons."

"There is another way to teach you a lesson though…a way that might help it finally sink into that thick skull that _actions_ have _consequences_ ," Uncle Vernon said as he reached out to grasp Harry's shoulder.

The boy winced expecting some new form of torture or pain. Maybe they'd try branding him. He'd seen an article about branding cattle once and that's really all he and Rose were to these people. That would hurt, but he'd live through it and he could push Uncle Vernon enough once the man got the poker so his uncle would forget all about Rose. Harry would protect his sister like he'd always had to do before. Rose made sure Aunt Petunia's words centered on her and Harry made sure Uncle Vernon's beatings centered on him. They'd survive just like always.

The next thing Harry knew he was flying across the room and smashing into the wall near the kitchen. A crack sounded in the air and pain shot through his left shoulder blade. His arm hung limply and the room swam in front of his eyes momentarily. Turning his head slightly, Harry's eyes widened as he saw Uncle Vernon clamp one meaty paw around Rose's arm and jerk her towards the stairs. "Little bitches like you are only good for one thing. Maybe _this_ will make you _learn your place_!"

A red haze descended over Harry's vision. A detached part of him marveled at that as he'd always assumed it to just be flowery embellishment on an author's part yet here it was actually happening. The larger section of Harry's consciousness was entirely focused on Vernon – the man no longer warranted the title of 'Uncle' – and Rose. Petunia simply shrugged with a small smirk on her face as her husband tugged Harry's screaming, crying sister onto the stairs and towards the upper floor. Towards his bedroom.

Harry roared and pushed off of the wall. He ignored the pain in his shoulder and leapt onto Vernon's back wrapping his arms around the man's thick neck. Vernon screamed in pain as Harry's fingers dug into the flab. Flailing around, his hand released Rose and Harry's sister fell against the wall curling into a tiny ball with her head between her knees. Harry didn't let go as Vernon reached behind him trying to get a grip on the ten year old riding him. When that failed, Vernon slammed his back into the front door knocking the wind out of Harry.

Harry felt his hands lose their grip with the impact and he slipped to the floor as Vernon stumbled forwards again and tripped into the stairs. Yelling in rage, the large walrus found his feet again and turned to Harry, eyes wild and animalistic. Harry could still hear Rose sobbing into her arms and he snarled right back at Vernon. He _pushed_ against _something_ and suddenly Vernon flew head over heels halfway up the stairs. The large man hit the stairs with a crunch and tumbled back down to the floor. A scream from the front room was the first and only reaction from Petunia since the drama began.

Vernon groaned in pain as he looked up at Harry blearily. Harry slowly stood ensuring that his relatives didn't see him favoring his injured shoulder. "Do. Not. Touch. Rose. We'll be in our cupboard. Come on, Rosy." Harry gently took Rose's arm and helped her to her feet. She clung to him to like a lifeline and followed as he led the way to their room. As soon as the cupboard door closed Harry settled onto the single dingy bed and Rose leapt into his arms, tears streaming from her eyes. "Shh, it's okay, Rosy. It's okay. He's not going to hurt you. He's never going to touch you as long as I'm here."

"It's _not_ okay!" Rose said clutching his shirt and vehemently shaking her head. "I don't even know what we _did_! And you're _hurt_! You always get hurt protecting me!"

"I can take it and you're worth it. I heal fast remember," Harry said smiling and rubbing her back. "I'll be good as new in a few days just like always."

Rose just shook her head again. "You shouldn't have to get hurt for me. I should be able to defend myself."

"That's what older brothers are for."

Rose pulled back and glared at him. The tear tracks and snot made the expression lose a lot of the power. "I'm older."

"Nah, we agreed _I_ was older. Back when I let you have the cupcake we stole from Dudley two years ago," Harry said grinning.

Rose shook her head and crossed her arms. "That was then, this is now. I'm older and as the older sibling I'm supposed to take care of you."

Harry nodded sagely. "Okay, you can be older. But it's still the brother's place to protect his sister."

Rose looked set to argue so Harry quickly marched on trying to elicit a promise from her instead. "If you want to _take care_ of me though I can allow that. You patch me up after I get banged up and come for me when I'm lost and we'll count it even."

Rose squinted at him and quirked her mouth into a thoughtful line tapping her foot against the mattress. Finally she gave a heavy sigh and said, "Fiiiine. I guess we can compromise. I promise. Now let me see your shoulder."

* * *

Harry awoke with a jerk, breathing heavily. His heart raced and for a moment he didn't know where he was. Then the weight on his chest shifted and Rose squeezed his middle tightly. "Go back to sleep. You need it."

Harry took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Bloody hell. I feel like I've lived two lives. Am I going to have to relive _every_ memory when I close my eyes, Rosy?"

Her shoulders shifted and she lifted her head enough to kiss his chin. "No clue. I don't think so. Maybe some key moments until everything settles back into place. What did you remember?"

"The first time Vernon tried touching you," Harry muttered. His fists clenched into balls, his muscles tensed and the curtains around the bed fluttered softly. Rose leaned up and pressed her lips to his demanding his full attention. Harry resisted only a moment before returning her affections.

When Rose pulled back she met his eyes and waited until he was fully there with her. "Harry, you saved me that day. You saved me every other time he got drunk enough to risk trying again. You've always saved me and you always will."

"I wasn't there for ten _years_ , Rosy," Harry said the strain in his voice would even be evident to Justin if their curtains hadn't been silenced.

"And I learned how to…take care of matters while you weren't around." Rose shook her head and laid back down on him. "It wasn't your fault the trial went bad, Harry. You've always been impulsive and quick to anger. I even found out part of the reason thanks to Tonks. We'll wait for Ella and I'll explain. The point is, it's not your fault you were taken. It's the Ministry's – particularly Umbridge and Fudge and we're going to _get_ them before this is over. You're here now. That's all that matters."

Harry frowned and placed a hand under his sister's chin gently lifting her back up so he could look into her hazel eyes again. "Did Vernon try anything in the few weeks you stayed with him before leaving?"

Rose's eyes shifted down and it was answer enough that Harry let go of her chin and pulled her into a crushing hug. Rose barely moved against his chest for several minutes. Finally a quiet voice floated up. "He tried and I fought back. He was the first person I killed. Petunia was the second. Dudley was the third. I…I made it look like a Death Eater attack afterwards so that Dumbledore's cronies stayed off my back. Ella and Tonks are the only people who know. Knew. Stupid time travel tense trouble…"

Harry winced and pulled her down enough to kiss her forehead. "You did well, Rosy. You stayed safe. They deserved whatever you did to them."

"I like to think so…" Rose sighed and snuggled closer. "You asked earlier about our schooling? I can teach you some of the stuff Ella came up with though she'd be better for most of it. Officially, I finished Fifth Year and have seven O.W.L.s though I only really excelled in Defense, Runes and Herbology. Ella officially finished four years at school with an official year of self-study afterwards and eight O.W.L.s. She did best with Arithmancy, Charms and Divination. We picked up a few things while looking for you, but a lot of our knowledge is patchy at best past that point…I'm sorry we're not complete badasses despite the extra time. We've just gotten really good with a few more basic spells you know?"

"Quality over quantity," Harry said shrugging. "At least you won't be completely bored if we stay through N.E.W.T.s this time. Besides," he smirked at her, "you've got me for power plays."

"Haha," Rose smiled rolled her eyes and playfully flicked a finger against his forehead. "Brute force has a place, I'll admit. It will make getting the stupid ring easier. When you can just destroy wards by totally overpowering them it makes cursebreaking seem easy."

Harry frowned up at all. "I'll just pretend I remember a ring then."

Rose shook her head. "That is not a discussion for tonight. We're only talking about those when Ella is around. Your Occlumency back by the way?"

"Yeah," Harry said nodding. "I remember enough to be able to throw anyone but you out without even trying."

"Funny how growing up with massive trust issues makes that particular mind art interesting huh?" Rose commented dryly. Harry just laughed in agreement followed by a long yawn. "Okay, mister. Back to sleep with you."

Harry lazily saluted her and wrapped his arm back around her, settling in. "I love you, Rose."

"Love you too, Harry. Sleep well."

Rose was silent for long enough that their breathing slowed and Harry's eyes drooped. Just before he nodded off again her voice drifted up, quiet enough that he could only barely hear her. "I came for you when you were lost. Just like I promised back then."

Harry smiled. She remembered that night just as well as he did. "Promise kept. You get to be the older sibling, Rosy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: As usual, a great thanks to my betas Thundramon and JordanMathias!
> 
> A rough translation of the French line thanks to MidnightFenrir's help on this one in 'Rune'. Any mistakes in moving it to this story are my own:  
> "Est-ce que tu es blessée? Est-ce que ça va? Pardonnes-moi, j'ai suis tombée dans une embuscade et je n'ai pas pu venir jusqu'à toi!" = "Are you hurt? Are you okay? Forgive me, I was ambushed and couldn't get to you!"


	3. Actions Have Consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Mild spoilers in here about a creature introduced in Fantastic Beasts. It doesn't say anything about the movie itself, only the nature of the beasty. This chapter also has a small amount of mature content, but considering the nature of this fic and how it's important to the characters I'm not going to be blocking those sections off.

**Chapter 3: Actions Have Consequences**

The looks Harry and Rose received as they walked into the Yule Ball arm in arm almost had each rolling on the floor laughing. Some of their classmates were simply staring with slack jaws while others were shaking their heads and glaring. The study group members in contrast mostly just rolled their eyes and ignored the mutterings around them.

"You'd think no one expected us to be serious about going together," Rose murmured to him as they walked across the floor. "Who did they expect us to go with? Swap with Neville and Hermione? Break up Justin and Susan?"

"They probably thought we were bringing in outside dates and just didn't want to admit it," Harry replied.

Rose snorted though her mouth lifted into a small smile as she gracefully swept into the seat Harry held out for her. "People in this school are idiots."

"People _in general_ are idiots, Rosy," Harry said chuckling. "Hello, Ms. Delacour, I hope you're having a pleasant evening so far."

"Monsieur and Mademoiselle Potter," Fleur replied with a nod. "Somehow I zink my evening will be far easier now zat you two have stolen ze spotlight so to speak."

Harry shrugged and wiggled his eyebrows. "We kind of specialize in doing that."

"Your date is drooling," Rose stated grimacing at the image Roger Davies was presenting nearby.

Fleur scowled and picked up her fork to stab at the plate. "One of ze many hazards of being Veela. I can only 'ope my sister has better luck zan I do at zese zings."

"Her name was Gabrielle right?" Rose asked. "I think I saw her playing with the Giant Squid the other day. She seems adorable."

"Don't let her hear you say zat." Fleur discreetly elbowed Roger and the older boy shook his head and hurriedly turned to study his plate while continuing to cast quick glances at Fleur. "Veela age differently zan humans. She is actually only a year younger zan you. Calling her cute or adorable is a quick way to a beating. She may be small, but she is _quick_." A short shudder ended that statement sending both twins into fits of chortling.

"Rose is the same way. I have to constantly keep on my toes in order to avoid pissing her off and attracting her ire."

"Hey!" Rose playfully slapped the back of his head and shared a look with Fleur. "He's so hard to properly train."

Fleur nodded and elbowed her date again before replying. "Siblings always are. Don't forget to dance wiz some ozers by ze way. You don't want people to start zinking you are here as more zan just siblings or zat you desire nozing more zan to show ze fools your ire at zeir heckling."

"Yeah…wouldn't want to make that mistake," Harry said softly as he turned back to his plate and pushed some food around to either side. Rose reached over under the tablecloth and squeezed his knee sending a shiver of solidarity between the two of them.

The Ball itself turned out to be more enjoyable than either had expected and they had made certain to keep Fleur's advice in mind. Each danced with their few remaining friends several times between their own dances though they always returned to each other after the short breaks. As the event winded down Harry led his sister on a short walk through the rose gardens that Hagrid had grown around the entrance to the Great Hall for the occasion. They reached a small bench hidden amongst the overhanging branches and sat down. Rose leaned against him and sighed heavily wrapping her arms around her middle.

Harry draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "You're going to bunch up your dress if you stay like that, Rosy," he said. Her dress really was beautiful. Hermione and Susan had both helped her pay for it the last time they'd been in Hogsmeade and the scarlet gown brought out the brilliance of her hair while her makeup highlighted her eyes. The twins had initially been hesitant to allow their study group to help with their dress robes, but eventually their complete lack of funds had proven to be the deciding factor. It wasn't like Vernon and Petunia were going to lend them any money and their Gringotts key never left Hagrid's side – 'on Dumbledore's orders' of course. Whatever the Headmaster said was gospel to poor Hagrid. They couldn't even fault him for it as Dumbledore had done right by the groundskeeper and if they were in his position they'd probably be desperately loyal too. Even with his blind faith, the giant man was nice enough and perfectly helpful, but he'd seemed to have forgotten they needed dress robes this year when giving them their money…Not that the twins had cared until it became clear that Harry's attendance was non-optional.

"Harry…we need to talk," Rose murmured and pushed even closer to him.

Harry frowned and drew his wand casting a series of privacy spells to ensure any wandering eyes or ears avoided this section of the garden. He idly noticed a large beetle flying near the bubble before veering off towards Hagrid as the spells took effect. At any other time he'd probably get a laugh about how they'd gotten good enough with the privacy wards to even affect insects…but that wasn't nearly as important as his sister at the moment. "What's wrong, Rose?"

She shrugged and sought out his hand with one of her own. "What Fleur said got me thinking. When we found out about this thing there wasn't even a question about who we were each going with was there?"

"Of course not!" Harry exclaimed. "There wasn't even a chance I'd have enjoyed this with someone else!"

"That's exactly what I mean, Harry." Rose's hand tightened her hold, but she otherwise remained still. "We weren't just doing this because no one else wanted to go with us. We weren't just doing it to piss the school off with forcing it on you or being arses this year. We did it because we _wanted_ too. Even if our classmates had been right amazing, we'd still have gone together."

"Yeah, probably. So what?" He frowned at the top of her head. Normally it wasn't this hard to read his sister's meaning.

Rose squeezed his hand hard enough to leave a mark. "So…Harry, we haven't _just_ been having sex…we can't keep pretending that that's all this is between us. It's not just comfort shite. It's not just reaching for what our relatives refused to give…"

Suddenly what Rose had been trying to say snapped into crystal clear clarity in front of his eyes and Harry sucked in a breath. Before Rose could react he used the arm over her shoulders to pull her even tighter against him. "I…I think you're right, Rose. Merlin…what the bloody hell is _wrong_ with us?"

"Haven't you been listening?" Rose asked with a sad laugh. "We're _freaks_." She trailed off and clung to him tighter remaining silent for over a minute. He wanted to say something to try and make things better, but had no clue how to begin doing that. She saved him from his looping thoughts as she pulled back enough to look him in the eyes. "I don't care! You're all I have; you're all I've _ever_ had! I don't care that it's wrong! I _love_ you and I'm not giving you up without a fight!"

Harry nodded and turned so that he could put both hands onto Rose's shoulders. "Rose, I feel the same way. I am never going to leave you and if I do, I will fight through Hell itself to get back. I love you too, Rose. We'll figure out how to make this work. If we have to disappear to be left alone then we will. I am with you for as long as you'll have me."

His sister's eyes started to shimmer and she hurriedly wiped them away with the back of a hand. Frowning, she immediately held up the offending limb and cursed. "Shite, my makeup…Susan's going to kill me." Both laughed lowly at that. Shaking her head, Rose turned back to Harry. "You mean it? Together forever no matter what?" He nodded. "Even if the whole world turns on us for having the audacity to be a little bit too broken?" He nodded again. "I love you, Harry Potter." Rose leapt into his arms and captured his lips with her own. Their tongues battled for nearly a minute before she pulled back for air. "Room of Requirement. Now."

Harry could only nod again as his sister dragged him up, past Snape glaring at Fleur and Roger and back into the castle.

* * *

Slowly Harry swam up through the molasses of his memories clawing for wakefulness. The weight shifting on his chest and groin demanded attention and the blurring of memory and experience was making it hard to sort past from present. With a titanic heave, Harry's consciousness pulled back into the foreground and shoved the memory aside. Blinking, he squinted up trying to make sense of the wavering blurry shadow above him.

Two small shapes were shifted back and forth a little above his eyes and his lower half was somewhat damp. As the warmth he was enveloped in finally registered, Harry's mouth reached up seemingly of its own accord to clamp on the shape above him. A gasp reached his ears and Harry finally realized what was going on. He sucked on Rose's nipple harder and an arm wrapped around his head holding him close. Rose moaned into his hair as her body clenched and his responded. Between the dream of the Yule Ball and her earlier ministrations Harry didn't stand a chance. He released inside her as she collapsed on top of him gently stroking his cheek.

"Sorry…" Rose mumbled. "It's just been so long since I could enjoy it and…well you started humping me in your sleep and…"

Harry lightly nipped at her breast eliciting a startled yelp and he let go pulling to the side enough to arc an eyebrow at Rose. "Yule Ball memory. Wake me up next time yeah? It's been years for me too."

"Really?" Rose asked shifting back slightly and gasping slightly as he shifted inside her. "I would've thought…I mean, you're a guy and you didn't remember me…"

"Rosy, just because I didn't consciously remember you doesn't mean I _forgot_ you. You saw me when you first showed up – middle of nowhere, house for one," he swept a strand of hair from her forehead and kissed her temple. "I tried having sex three times over the years. Ended up deciding that I was either suppressing memories of abuse or that I was just asexual. Nice to see that's not the case eh?" His joke quickly led to a frown developing however. "I feel like we should be weirded out…We both think like we're 25 yet we're attracted to 14 year old bodies?"

Rose snorted. "I don't know about you, Harry, but _I_ am not attracted to teenagers. _I_ am attracted to _you_. And hopefully Ella. I figure now that you're back we should have a lot better success on that front." She frowned and leaned up enough to grab her breasts glaring at them critically. "I do miss my boobs though…gonna have to start eating better again…"

Harry laughed and shook his head. "Rosy, you were barely any bigger when you showed up on my doorstep than you are now."

She glared at him and slapped his head. "Haha very funny. My poor psyche is going to be permanently scarred now," she said deadpan. Rolling her eyes Rose lay back down onto his chest wiggling and eliciting a murmur of approval from Harry. "God I missed you. What would I have done without you?"

"Probably become an Obscurial," Harry said.

Rose immediately sat back up and glared at him. "Don't even joke about that. Seriously. It's not funny."

Harry grimaced. "Sorry, poor taste. We really did dodge a bullet there." He paused for a moment and quirked his mouth focusing on something far away. "Those _are_ the roiling balls of raw power that bounce around destroying everything and are conjured by abused kids suppressing their magic for too long…right?"

"Close enough," Rose sighed. "Can we please stop talking about it now?"

"Yeah. Sorry. Come on, Rose, we should probably get up. Meet you in the Common Room in fifteen?"

"Yup." Rose kissed his forehead and got off him grabbing her clothes and the Cloak. "Don't disappear while I'm showering, brother."

* * *

Rose and Harry left the Hufflepuff dorms intent on finding Gabrielle and seeing how things had gone for her last night. That plan was immediately put on hold as they nearly ran smack into Hermione who was camped outside the entrance pacing. Harry pulled up short and Rose blinked in surprise. "Hermione? What are you doing here this early?" she asked mouth dropping open slightly.

Hermione froze midstep and twisted sharply to face the two. "We need to speak. Immediately. Study Room please." Without wasting any further comments she turned and walked off towards the staircase.

Harry turned to Rose and raised his eyebrows in question. She just shook her head and frowned. "No idea…she never did this last time."

"Well, let's not keep her waiting," Harry said shrugging. "She looked ready to start banging on the door to find us."

The twins quickly trotted after Hermione catching up just as she opened the way to the Room of Requirement and hurried in after her. The Study configuration was similar in many respects to the library. The main difference was that the tables were rounder, and the chairs were comfier. Harry and Rose sat down in their usual spots. They had barely touched the cushions before Hermione whirled on them harshly pointing. "You two need to step back and tone it down! You need to be more careful! You're just lucky that everyone was too busy worrying about Rose and Gabrielle waking up to notice you both!"

Harry stared at her wide-eyed while Rose's mouth dropped open and she made a strangled choking noise. "You-you _know_?!" Rose squeaked.

Hermione scowled. "Do I know," she scoffed rolling her eyes. "I have probably known before either of you! Honestly, what siblings are _that_ close? What siblings are almost _never_ apart? What siblings ignore the opinion of _everyone_ aside from each other? Someone insults Rose and Harry destroys them. A girl looks at Harry wrong and Rose makes her regret having been born. Anyone who bothers to actually _listen_ to the two of you speak would have a suspicion and anyone who is actually _friends_ with you would have to be willfully blind to ignore it." Hermione paused in her rant and huffed crossing her arms and glaring at the table. "This honestly doesn't say much about Susan or Justin I suppose since neither seems to have a clue. I think Neville keeps trying to convince himself he's seeing things."

Harry finally shook off his shock and started to laugh. Rose turned to him and just stared with a betrayed expression flitting across her features. "So how long ago did you officially figure it out Hermione? And why are you still friends with us? I have no idea of how incest is handled in the wizarding world, but I know it's jail in the Muggle ones. Out of everyone, I figured you'd be the first to cut and run once word got out."

Hermione sighed and dropped bonelessly into the chair across from them. She shook her head and shrugged all the previous righteous fire gone. "I suspected that you were emotionally involved by the end of the first month we started studying together. By the time the New Year rolled around…I was certain. I realized you both were…intimate…when we met up at the World Cup."

Rose goggled and sputtered a few times before finally managing to form words. " _We_ didn't even know we were involved until the Yule Ball!"

"Are you telling me you haven't been having sex since after the incident with Sirius Black?" Hermione asked focusing a cocked head and curious tone on the other girl.

Rose just grimaced. "Um, well…okay yeah…but we thought it was just comfort sex or something you know? Between hormones, Dementor induced flashbacks to the Dursleys and Voldemort _not to mention_ almost getting eaten by a werewolf and…that stuff with Lupin and Snape…well we didn't realize it was because we were in love with each other until Yule…"

Hermione groaned and rubbed her forehead. "You both are idiots."

"Agreed, but compared to you almost anyone is an idiot," Harry said smirking. He continued in a mutter barely loud enough to carry to Rose, "Minus a few people I've recently found out are geniuses." The slight smirk that spread on Rose's face set Hermione frowning at them both again.

"See, that is what I'm talking about. You just said something to her and she immediately perked up. You need to be more careful," Hermione sighed. "I know you almost lost each other yesterday, but if you want to keep your…relationship secret, you need to be more aware of your actions when around others. You were very close and very touchy-feely after the Task. I'm not in your House; I can't cover for you well."

Harry nodded. "We know. Thanks for the heads up, Hermione. We'll try to be more careful moving forward. Yesterday was just a bit intense."

" _Please_ tell me you two are being careful and using appropriate protection," Hermione said sighing. "The last thing any of us need to have to worry about a child at this junction. That's completely disregarding the potential issues inherent in – "

"Hermione, stop!" Harry yelled cringing. "We know about the dangers and it's not an issue whenever that becomes a thing. We're tw-fourteen; we're being careful and using protection."

Rose rolled her eyes at the rising scarlet on their friend's face. "Hermione, you know as well as us that there are potions and spells to deal with contraception. Now, you dodged the question about why you stayed friends with us."

Hermione grimaced and bowed her head mumbling. A few moments later she continued louder, "I didn't exactly have many friends First Year. I don't know if I ever told you, but I almost asked to leave near Halloween. That was going to be the last straw…until we started to study together. After we started hanging out I eventually noticed you both were _far_ too close and…well I didn't want to jeopardize losing two of my only friends by bringing it up."

Harry sighed and Rose reached across and squeezed her hand. "Sorry to make you feel uncomfortable, Hermione," Rose said softly. "Thank you for staying loyal to us though. I hope that you don't feel like that anymore."

"I've made peace with it," the brunette said with a shrug. "I'm not entirely comfortable with it and I doubt I ever will be, but no, I'm not staying beside you simply because I don't have other options. You are both my friends and I will support you despite your…alternative lifestyle."

Rose frowned and shifted closer to Harry. "You should know, Hermione, we didn't just wake up one morning and decide incest was cool. We've been basically molded into this since we were toddlers." Hermione looked up sharply, but before she could cut in Rose continued. "We know we're broken and that this is weird and abnormal. We've just been together so long that we don't particularly care."

"You were molded into this…?" Hermione's eyes widened and her hands flew to her mouth. "Oh my goodness! Those _monsters_! I knew it wasn't ideal, but to be so bad that you grew so dependent and – We have to get you out of that household!"

"It's already covered, Hermione," Harry said waving her off. "We have a plan. Right, Rose?" he asked turning to his sister and raising his eyebrows in question. He _really_ hoped she and Gabrielle had come up with something more than 'Time leap. Kill Umbridge, Fudge and Voldemort. Profit.'

"Yup. Plan is already in motion. Thank you for caring though," Rose said nodding, "it…really means a lot."

Hermione frowned and looking carefully between the two she slowly nodded and sat back again. "Something more happened during the Task didn't it? You're both acting more mature than before."

Harry shrugged. "We just realized nobody was going to save us so we had to do it ourselves. It's good to know you're with us, Hermione. Thank you for the warning as well. Now we should all probably head down to breakfast if we want to eat before class."

Sighing, Hermione nodded again and stood up. Harry held out his hand to Rose and both stood as well smiling at the brunette's back as she walked ahead of them. Rose sighed. She started muttering just low enough that Harry had to strain to hear what she was saying. "Now I feel right awful about stealing her notes on the time leap process…" Harry had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from laughing.

* * *

By lunchtime Harry and Rose were getting antsy. While it appeared that Hermione had been correct about no one else seeming to notice them being a tad too close for siblings yesterday it hadn't stopped either twin from carefully watching everyone they interacted with to be sure. In addition they had yet to find time to search for Gabrielle. Rose had already been snippy with three people trying to ask her about the lake incident and it had Harry worried. Rose had never snapped at anyone besides him before…

" 'arry! Rose!" a happy voice screamed from behind him. Twirling on his seat, Harry finished his turn just fast enough to grab a blonde missile streaking into his chest. Gabrielle hugged him tight staying for barely a moment before letting him go and hugging Rose just as hard. She pulled back beaming and promptly sat between the two of them holding one hand in each of her own. "Maman said I should leave you boz alone, but I said she was being foolish. You don't mind me sitting 'ere, no?"

"You're welcome to sit with us anytime you want, Gabi," Harry said smiling and squeezing her hand.

Rose nodded enthusiastically and hurriedly blinked to brush away a slight sheen in her eyes. "It's great to have you here, El-Gabi."

"Zank you! It is very good to _be_ 'ere! Are you done eating? I was wanting to practice my Eenglish but…I don't want to be embarrassing in front of ze ozers…" she shuffled on the seat slightly and cast large puppy dog eyes at both twins.

Harry had to suppress his chuckle as he nodded down. "Sure, we can head out. I'll grab a sandwich for you to eat once we find a classroom to hide out in until the afternoon classes."

A broad grin spread on the Veela's face as the trio stood and walked off into the castle. They had barely made it into the Room of Requirement before Gabrielle dropped her doe-eyed expression and scowled. "I _hate_ that accent! Goddess we need to have one of these 'lessons' every day so I can reasonably drop it by the end of the month!"

"It can't be that bad can it?" Harry asked cocking his head at her.

Gabrielle glared at him and crossed her arms. The image of a nine year old glaring like _he_ was the toddler was almost too amusing to believe. "You try to remember which h's you can pronounce and which you are supposed to drop. Or which s's and e's get elongated. At least ze th's are easy to remember for the most part. I still do that sometimes anyway. Stupid language. Stupid small body. Stupid time leap."

"Yeah, but now you don't have to fall in love with us all over again," Rose said wrapping Gabrielle into a hug. She pulled back enough to kiss the girl on the lips briefly and stepped back to join Harry on the couch. Gabrielle was left effectively shocked silent with a hand lightly feathering her lips.

"You never initiate ze kiss…"

Rose shrugged. "Harry's back. I'm no longer an asexual girl."

Gabrielle's mouth split into a predatory grin before falling into a scowl almost as fast. She stomped her foot and threw herself onto the couch in a huff. "Great and I'm still _small_ so I can't even take advantage of that!"

Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. "Hey, just bear with it for like two weeks and then you'll be large enough so none of us feel guilty."

Gabrielle's eyes widened. "I…hadn't thought of that. I really need to get my head out of my research…"

"I've tried to tell her that, but she never listened to me," Rose chuckled. "Maybe now we can knock some sense into her. Bet you never figured on the Change coming up right away either huh?"

"In retrospect, it should have been obvious," Gabrielle huffed. "I was never good at the 'street smart' stuff. Zat was what you excelled in, Rose." She paused and looked up at Harry hugging her arms around herself. When she spoke next her voice was small and wavering. "Did it work? How much do you remember?"

He nodded. "It worked. Mostly at least. I'm still getting some flashbacks to major moments, but I have a lot of the broad strokes and I remember most spells. A few of the details are probably going to be tripping me up for a while though."

Gabrielle let out a loud breath. "Zank the Goddess! It hadn't been tried that way before. I was worried it might not take."

"It did. Speaking of not taking…" Harry said casting a hard stare between both girls on either side of him. "What's this about stealing from Hermione?"

Rose grimaced and Gabrielle muttered under her breath, "So much for not mentioning that, Rose."

"It just slipped out, Ella," she said cringing. "Harry, we did most of the work for the time leap equations ourselves. Well, Ella did most of the work. She was just stuck on a few parts here and there. We consulted with Hermione via owl post. Eventually she figured out a bit of what we were actually asking her to do and she cut us off. She got spooked with the whole 'potentially destroy the world' thing. So I stole her notes so that Ella could finish."

Harry rolled his eyes and looked to the ceiling for help. "I'm not even going to try and reply to that. Please promise me we won't steal from friends in the future."

"Hey, I was still pissed with her for assuming you were dead!" Rose said punching him in the side. "And how the heck was I supposed to know she already knew about us? Girl never said squat last time through."

Gabrielle reared back and her mouth fell open. "She knows?"

"Not about you. About Harry and I. Apparently has since First Year. Wish _I'd_ known that long," Rose muttered.

Gabrielle nodded and ran a hand through her hair. "Well, zat is unexpected, but not really a problem I suppose."

"Agreed," Harry said shrugging. "How did things go with your family, Ella?"

"Rather well actually…" Gabrielle frowned and leaned into Harry staying silent for a long moment before continuing. "I was actually able to hold a mature conversation with all three of them. It was…refreshing. Fleur helped quite a lot with convincing maman and papa to take me seriously…I had forgotten how nice zat felt. How much I missed it."

"Was that all because you started Veela puberty?" Harry asked.

Gabrielle shrugged and kept staring at the floor. "I don't know. Possibly. Probably. I don't know. I don't really think I _want_ to know. It's just nice to have zem back. Though I do wish they would not try to smother me. It made it very difficult to get to you both."

Rose nodded and leaned over to squeeze her arm. "Well just claim you're attached to your two heroes. Should make things easier."

"Zat is what I am doing. I may act a bit star struck for a week or two so don't be surprised."

"Roger," Harry said nodding. "Err, Rose had mentioned a Bond…"

Gabrielle grimaced and nodded. "I suppose she would have. Do you both want details now that she is not scared of hurting me with her obsession?"

Rose closed her eyes and Harry kissed the top of her head in support. Turning back to Gabrielle he nodded. "Yes, please, Ella. Anything you are comfortable explaining would be helpful. Also, are you still Bonded and if not, did you re-establish it once we got back?"

Gabrielle sighed and snuggled closer into his side. "I am not _currently_ Bonded. I wanted to speak with you both first – unlike last time. The Bond for Veela is both physical and emotional; not so much mental zough there is a small amount there too." Harry frowned and was only prevented from saying anything by Gabrielle pushing on. "When a Veela Bonds we can feel our Mate's state of mind to a degree. It's believed zis was meant to help up seduce a man or to keep zem happy once we were involved. It is primarily emotional in zis aspect and not very specific, just vague feelings. Only if we are _very_ close could we sense a general direction. I'd have to be in ze same house to be able to find you."

Rose let out brief noise of relief at that and Gabrielle nodded to her before moving on. " _Oui_ , you'd likely have had to lobotomize me in order to ramp that aspect up to have been useful in the search, Rose. You wouldn't have done it I'm sure, but you were worried enough about yourself zat I let it lie. Moving on, physically ze Bond primarily involves sex. My Mate would get far more enjoyment than usual as would I. It has to do with both pheromones and magic. I can still have sex with others without issue; I just need to work a bit more to enjoy it."

Harry nodded. "So when you and Rose tried…"

"We both had issues," Gabrielle said shrugging. "Veela are highly sexual by nature and we tend to prefer to have multiple partners or one very energetic one. Being Bonded makes controlling the urges a bit easier, but I still feel them. When Rose and I slept together, she wasn't truly invested since you weren't involved and I only enjoy myself if my partner does too. Ze Bond made zat even harder. That's why we stopped trying."

Harry sighed and squeezed both girls tighter. "So…what about the mental thing?"

Gabrielle grimaced. "You're not going to like it…" Harry narrowed his eyes but nodded for her to continue. Sighing, the girl kept speaking, "Once we are Bonded Veela tend to be more inclined to be interested in the things zat our Mate is. We don't change personalities or anything…It's more like we get some new hobbies. For example, I wasn't really into Quidditch at all before I Bonded with you."

Rose frowned and spoke up at that. "Wait, that sounds rather major."

"From my perspective it's really not," Gabrielle said sighing. "I'm still _me_ after ze Bond. I'm just a bit… _more_ – a bit more compatible, a bit more empathic…I feel more _complete_ with ze Bond." She paused and leaned back curling one arm around Harry and stretching her other hand out to grasp Rose. "I understand it makes most uncomfortable though so I won't establish it if you don't want me to."

Harry looked to Rose and raised his eyebrows. Rose hitched one shoulder into the air before casting a glance down to Gabrielle. Eventually she said, "Ella, you want this right?"

"I do. I feel…strange not being Bonded anymore."

Harry hummed for a moment before finally nodding. "It's not our place to say yes or no, Ella. This is your decision. Do you still want to Bond with _me_ though? I mean…you have your whole life as your own now and – "

"Neizer of you are getting rid of me anytime soon!" Gabrielle said pulling back and glaring up at him.

Rose laughed and shook her head. "Careful, Harry. You get her pissed and you have to dodge fireballs. Good for exercise, not so good for clothes," she said with a smile and a poke.

Harry rolled his eyes and held up his hands in defense. "Okay, forget I said anything. Just one more comment then I'm done. You could Bond with Rose. You did spend ten years with her after all and only a few months with me…"

Gabrielle sat up, climbed onto his lap straddling him and held his face in both of her hands. "I had originally thought I'd Bonded wiz a Hero, but zen things changed. For over a decade, Rose told me about a little boy who never ceased taking his uncle's beatings to spare his sister the pain. She told me about how zat boy had protected his sister from rape several times – at least once almost at the cost of his own life. She told me about a boy who jumped to ze defense of zose he considered family and friends. She told me about a boy who refused to leave his loved ones no matter what – a boy who stabbed a basilisk in the head with a sword. I was a foolish little girl who had Bonded with the idea of a boy who never existed. I fell in love with a _man_ who was far better than my wildest dreams. And along the way I fell in love with a woman who gave up everything she'd ever dared to dream of for the barest chance of finding the one she loved. I love you both and I fully intend to stay Bonded to you both…even if technically ze Bond is only to one of you." She sat back and smiled. "I've gotten used to liking Quidditch and being a bit more fiery zan I was as a little girl. I want zat back."

Harry smiled back at her and he felt Rose slink an arm around his waist and rest her other one on Gabrielle. "In that case, we would be honored to have you Bond with me, Ella."

* * *

After Gabrielle re-established her Bond, the three ended up staying in the Room long past lunch ended. Gabrielle had already been excused from classes for the week due to the Change she was starting. On the Hogwarts side, neither twin felt that History of Magic was worth attending and they knew Hagrid wouldn't mind them skipping his Care of Magical Creatures class for a day.

There were far more important things to talk about than goblin rebellions or Blast-Ended Skrewts. Gabrielle and Rose had been busy filling Harry in on Voldemort's semi-immortality.

"So this Horcrux thing is like a phylactery?" Harry asked frowning.

"Exactly," Gabrielle said nodding hard enough for her long hair to fan around her face. "That's a perfect description of them."

Harry quirked his mouth and looked between Rose and Gabrielle. "And he made _six_ of them?"

"Well six now. The diary I destroyed in the Chamber was a seventh," Rose nodded.

Gabrielle shrugged and chuckled slightly. "You can count it several ways actually. There were six intentional, a seventh accidental – though it's possible zat you were actually the accidental sixth and Nagini was made into an intentional, though unknown, seventh sometime zis year once Riddle became a homunculus or after he regained a body."

Harry rubbed his forehead and grimaced. "And we need to destroy the rest before the Final Task so that we can make sure we kill him and get left alone? That's going to be really hard to do since we didn't arrive during the summer like you'd expected. Sneaking out during school can get complicated if we aren't _really_ careful."

Rose squeezed his shoulder and shrugged. "We don't have to destroy them all prior to the maze. It'd actually be rather hard since we need to take out part of your skull to get the most important one."

"Yeah we're coming back to that in a minute," Harry muttered rubbing his forehead hard enough to make it hurt. "I thought you said we can't kill him without killing the Horcruxes?"

"We could technically," Gabrielle said. "He'd just be a wraith again. Seeing how it took him over a decade last time to come back it's a decent stopgap measure if we need to. But that's beside the point. We know exactly where he's going to be and when, Harry. We can simply take out Pettigrew zen stun ze Dark Arsehole and feed him some Draught of Living Death. Easy as cake."

"Pie, Ella. Easy as pie," Rose commented.

"Well, that's a stupid expression," the Veela retorted. "Pie isn't always easy to eat or bake. Cake is simple."

Harry groaned. "Girls can we focus please? Okay so I get keeping Voldemort under wraps until we're free to operate during the summer – though if we do that I'm Obliviating the _hell_ out of him Draught of Living Death or no – but we shouldn't just sit here and hope that things go the way they did the first time through. That's not guaranteed; just look at Hermione!"

Gabrielle sat back on her heels and tapped a finger on her knee. After a few moments, she looked up and met Rose's eyes. "Should we bring Tonks and Sirius in?"

" _Not_ Sirius," Rose said shaking her head emphatically. Harry glanced between the two and decided to wait and get a full handle on the argument before weighing in. "He's impulsive and reckless. I don't want to risk him screwing this up by being himself!"

Gabrielle narrowed her eyes and pointed at Rose. "You need to loosen up more! He's so reckless right now because he's feels like he's being useless and his last real friend is gone! It's going to be even worse since as far as he's concerned, you and I almost died yesterday." Gabrielle sighed and continued quietly, "Rose, give him a chance. Ze man made a mistake and he paid for it. Let him help."

Rose glared at the floor and stayed silent. Harry gently bumped her shoulder. "We don't have to tell him about the time travel thing Rose and we can guilt him into being careful if we phrase it right. We can use this to make him take a step back and act more mature."

"That's…actually that's a really good idea…" Rose sighed and nodded. "Fine we can ask him to help. I think if we bring Tonks in we should tell her the full truth though. She out of any of them deserves it."

"I know she was great to us First Year, but you trust her that much?" Harry asked.

Both girls nodded though it was Gabrielle who explained. "After you were sent away she dug pretty deep. By the time Greyback started going after zose Muggleborn children she had gotten enough information to put together ze whole picture. She used hunting him down to keep an eye and ear open for clues on the remaining ones. She's the reason we know about the Horcruxes at all. She confronted Dumbledore too after he tried to bring her in only to find out she already knew most of what he 'suspected'. From what we were told it was quite an…explosive conversation. Tonks nearly destroyed his office when she found out how long he'd waited to act on his suspicions."

Rose snorted and leaned into Harry. "The old man is lucky that it was Tonks and not us confronting him. He's convinced you have to die to get rid of the Scarcrux and hasn't even considered Muggle methods. If I'd been there I'd have probably killed him by the end of that conversation." Harry frowned a bit at that, but let it lie for the moment.

"So she found out about Horcruxes and started hunting them down?"

Gabrielle nodded. " _Oui_. After she killed Greyback, she shifted focus from tracking you to tracking ze last two Horcruxes. She had already found and destroyed most. Once her aunt let slip about ze Cup Tonks managed to pass along ze information to us…shortly before Voldemort killed her." The girl winced and dropped her head letting her hair frame her face. "It was a sad day hearing zat."

Both women lapsed into quiet contemplation and Harry cast about for a way to distract them again. "Okay so how sure are we that surgery is going to get rid of the one in my head? What if it's connected to my soul or something?"

Rose growled and her hand squeezed his knee hard enough to bruise. "That's not even _possible_! Ella and I did the calculations. A Horcrux only works by tying the soul to the _physical_ plane. It can _only_ attach to something physical: your skull. If it connected to your soul then the soul shard would've been destroyed since it couldn't stay tied down."

"Oh. Well…bugger…" Harry rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Thank god we had a Muggle upbringing…"

"Agreed," Gabrielle said. "I always loved discovering how Rose looked at things during our travels and how it was so inherently more straightforward than my own upbringing would espouse. So you're okay with getting the surgery during the first week of summer?"

Harry raised his eyebrows at her. "I want it out so yes. Next question."

"The others," Rose said. "If we're bringing in Tonks and Sirius they can go for the Locket easily enough. They should be able to get the Ring too. We can take out the Diadem tonight if we really wanted to though it's probably better to wait for the weekend."

Gabrielle nodded. "You two have to be the ones to get the Cup from Gringotts. Remember the goblins are _enfoirés_ so unless we want to steal it from them we need to use their own nature against them."

Rose rolled her eyes. "I still vote for breaking and entering here."

Harry chuckled and poked her side. "Since when did you become the frontal assault type, Rosy? That's usually my role." Rose shrugged and Harry smirked at her before turning to Gabrielle. "Ella, you really think that the goblins will go for the insulted noble family thing you mentioned a few minutes ago?"

"They should," she shrugged. "Play it up. You haven't received account statements since your first birthdays. Whether it's their fault the mail was diverted or not makes no difference; they should have ensured you received it no matter what. Gringotts goblins take issues of pride and restitution very seriously. They will jump at the chance to get out of debt with you. If only so they can go back to hating you and screwing you over in ze future."

"Okay," Harry said, "we'll try it. Anything else we need to discuss at the moment?"

The girls looked between themselves and turned to Harry as one, shaking their heads. "I think we're good for the moment, Harry," Rose said snuggling into his side. "Can we all just sit back and cuddle for a bit?"

"Sure, Rosy." He smiled and leaned back letting her climb half over him as she got comfy. "Ella, can you stay for another hour or so or did you have to go back?"

Gabrielle answered that question by raising her eyebrows and climbing onto his other side. She rested her head on his chest and with a quiet sigh and wrapped a small arm around Rose's waist. "I am receiving ze lessons in Eeenglish. I am staying to continue zese lessons and ze time, it 'as gotten away from us."

Harry could only laugh in response. "I don't know what I did to earn the loyalty of you both, but I am eternally grateful for it."

"So are we, Harry, so are we," Rose murmured.

* * *

The trio finally left the Room shortly before dinner started. They had almost made it into the Great Hall when they were waylaid by a blonde Slytherin stepping into their path. Harry frowned and Rose subtly palmed her wand beside him. Gabrielle just narrowed her eyes and shifted ever so slightly to cover them both.

"Potter, Potterette, may I speak with you for a few minutes?" Daphne Greengrass asked her face impassive.

Harry stepped forward to put himself between Daphne and the girls. "What about? You don't traffic in Malfoy's circles so what could you possibly have to talk to us about?"

The only outward sign of Daphne's frustration was the tightening of her mouth and the way she shut her eyes for a brief moment. "That idiot is only in Slytherin because the other Houses would've ended up killing him. Probably the same reason Weasley is in Gryffindor." She took a breath and held her empty hands to the side. "I'm not here for nefarious purposes, Potter. I just want to talk."

Harry weighed his options and after a moment decided it couldn't hurt to hear her out. If things were changing they'd need to stay on top of it anyway. "Okay. There's an empty classroom down here."

As he led the way into the room letting Rose cast the privacy spells, Gabrielle leaned up to whisper, "What the hell did you two _do_? The goal is to prevent major changes until we could get rid of our enemies!"

"How the bloody hell am I supposed to know? My memory is fuzzy here," Harry muttered.

Rose finished up the spells and Daphne nodded her approval. "That's good work. I didn't realize you knew advanced privacy wards like that. Though I suppose…well I really should have expected it."

"Oh why is that?" Rose asked crossed her arms and leaning back against a desk. "Figured the freaks wanted their own corner of woe?"

Daphne cast a pointed glance at Gabrielle. "I have never referred to you by that slur so please do not lump me into the morass of these fools. Anything further I believe should be reserved for true privacy."

Harry shook his head and put an arm around Gabrielle's shoulders. "Whatever you have to say can be said in front of Gabrielle. She's older than she looks and she's our friend."

Daphne cocked her head to the side and her mouth opened slightly in recognition. "Oh, Veela then like your sister. You're our age I assume?"

"Nearly. I am zirteen," Gabrielle replied.

"Yes, well, if you trust her…"

"We do," Rose said curtly.

Daphne just shrugged. "Very well. I'm not trying to antagonize you both; I just wanted to be sure. Unlike many of our fellow classmates _I_ was paying attention yesterday after the Task." Harry kept his expression neutral though inside he started groaning. This was going to be Hermione all over again. "I've observed the two of you ever since the Chamber of Secrets incident. Anyone who can take on a basilisk and live to tell the tale will be a force to be reckoned with. I wanted to make sure I was on the right side."

"And you haven't said anything before now…why?" Rose asked though her voice had lost the threatening edge.

"I prefer to work from the shadows generally," Daphne said shrugging. "Getting one's hands into things tends to get messy quickly and can also level targets at one's back. I already alienate enough people in this school by my persona; I didn't need even more hating me. My original plan was to approach you prior to the O.W.L.s preparations and join Granger's study group. The situation has changed though so I felt the need to step forward sooner."

Gabrielle quirked her mouth and frowned. "What exactly are 'ou looking for from ze Potters? What 'as changed?"

"Well, you for one," Daphne stated bluntly. "Would I be wrong in assuming a Bond has been established?" The shocked expression on three faces easily confirmed that guess. "I thought as much. The Potter twins have a notorious ability to keep all but a few at arms-distance. That you're even in the room right now was answer enough. This is why I'm coming to you now." Daphne sighed and sat down on a chair letting her eyes drop to the floor for a brief moment before staring at each in turn. "You are involved. All three of you. You need my help."

Harry saw Rose open her mouth to respond and he quickly waved her to stay quiet. He looked at Daphne for a nearly a minute before responding, "Assuming we _are_ involved, how does that translate to needing your assistance?"

"Incest is not illegal in the wizarding world yet it is highly frowned upon." Daphne gave him a small sad smile as she continued, "The situation is made worse by the nature of who you are, Harry Potter. You are the Boy-Who-Lived. You're supposed to marry a perfect pureblood princess to propagate your ideal line and ingratiate yourself with the old guard. Rose is supposed to settle down with a pureblood prince to do the same thereby linking three noble houses together. That you are interested in each other will set the dogs upon you shortly after word gets out."

"I'm still waiting to hear how this pertains to you."

Daphne nodded. "I'm getting to it. I can help you keep the rumors secret. I can teach you a few of the ways to get into the loopholes in the system so that you can be left alone to live your life how you wish. As we get older I can grease some wheels to make certain that anyone with invasive inquiries is kept far away. I may be able to direct a few towards Miss Delacour there, perhaps claim that as a Veela she requires more than a single lover and she has managed to intrigue you both. It wouldn't completely dissuade the public, but it would help somewhat."

Gabrielle's mouth lifted into a smile and Harry felt her shaking slightly with repressed laughter. "Zat would not be very far from ze truz after a fashion."

"I don't see what you get out of this," Rose said shaking her head.

"I want a political alliance," Daphne stated shrugging. "I have nothing against any of you. Actually you've always rather impressed me. Obviously you want nothing to do with politics or the responsibilities that come with House Potter. I, on the other hand find these things refreshing and endlessly fun. I enjoy the challenge of moving in those fields. For the moment I'd be content to simply redirect the most damaging rumors that I come across until such time as you are ready to reveal yourselves. Moving forward I'd hope to eventually represent you in the Wizengamot should you be uninterested in attending the non-mandatory meetings. I don't want to just play second-fiddle like my family has in the past; I want allies. I want to be seen as a force to be respected. I feel we can both help each other on our goals."

Harry shared an ambivalent look with Rose and an amused glance with Gabrielle. He turned back to Daphne and leaned against his own desk. "We're not exactly hiding at the moment per se. We are just trying not to be obvious about it until after the O.W.L.s."

"Because after that you can leave if things get too bad," Daphne said nodding. "I thought as much. It's why I'd originally planned to approach you early next year for the alliance."

"So we don't really _need_ you…" Harry drew the sentence out long enough for Daphne's shoulders to slump. It had been subtle, but it was what he'd hoped to see. She was being honest. "However, you make a compelling argument. While we're inclined towards leaving the country eventually, we're open to staying where our few friends are if it's possible and convenient. Previously we hadn't expected it to be feasible at all as we didn't think we'd ever be left alone – we're still not certain that's going to change. How about a trial basis, Daphne Greengrass? We'll let you try and run damage control if we screw up and – as long as we can stay in England relatively unmolested – we'll gradually let you throw our weight around in causes we feel worth supporting."

"An adequate compromise," Daphne said a grin spreading across her face. "Are you in agreement as well, Rose?"

Rose sighed and looked the blonde up and down finally nodding. "Sure, worth a shot. Traveling from place to place sucks and if I go to a Wizengamot meeting there's likely to be blood drawn by the end of it."

"Miss Delacour?"

"Zis is not my place. Zis eez a decision for zem," Gabrielle replied.

As Daphne nodded and shook hands with all three. Rose's mouth lifted in a thin smile and she asked a final question, "You know of anyone else who's going to be showing up yelling at us for being too obvious about this? Between you and Hermione it's getting old, fast."

Daphne blinked in surprise before chuckling softly. "Granger knew huh? I underestimated her. I would've thought she'd run for the hills."

"So did we," Harry murmured. "If there's nothing else, we should leave before people start asking why we missed dinner."

Daphne nodded and took down the privacy wards before quickly leading the way back to the Great Hall. Harry took Gabrielle's hand as they went and raised his eyebrows at Rose. "Funny how now that we're both mature enough not to care, _everyone_ else seems to have it as their first priority." Both girls laughed at that leading to many confused Hufflepuffs as they found their usual table seats and set into their evening meal.

* * *

That evening as Harry closed his eyes with his arms wrapped around Rose he felt himself falling backwards and landing arse first on the floor of the second floor corridor. "Stop protecting the Heir, Potter!" Ernie Macmillan shouted and as he glared down at Harry. He turned to point his wand at Rose and spat, "We know it's you! You're the only one who fits the profile – we saw you arguing with Hermione and Justin the day before each were attacked! We don't know how you managed to convince your brother you're innocent, but the Badgers know it's you! You're the only one with grudges against everyone who's been hurt! "

Rose cringed and stepped back almost falling as she tripped over a loose stone in the floor. Harry's hand clenched around his wand hard enough to leave his knuckles white and he saw the red descending over his vision again. He lost the ability to form words to express his outrage and could only growl. Surging to his feet Harry jumped between the other Puff and Rose, leveling his glowing wand tip towards Ernie. A trembling hand reached out and grasped his robes as Rose melded her body to his back.

Before Harry could do anything a spell shot from the side of the corridor and stuck a surprised Ernie against the wall. A tall, blonde Slytherin walked up pocketing her wand and shaking her head. "Macmillan you are an idiot. By your logic Harry Potter fits just as well as Rose Potter. And exactly what grudge are you referring too? Hermione is the reason she passes her classes and even worse, Penelope Clearwater was attacked today. I don't even think these two know Clearwater's _name_ let alone have a grudge against her! Stop taking your fear out on people and start acting like a Hufflepuff!" She scowled and turned away. "Honestly, that a _Slytherin_ is forced to berate the 'House of the Loyal' for _disloyalty_ is simply _embarrassing_. You should be ashamed of yourself and your family name."

As the girl stalked away, Harry felt his anger cooling off slightly. The red haze lifted and he turned to check Rose over. She was still shaking and her eyes were shimmering with unshed tears. "Come on, Rosy, let's head up to the library. We can study for a bit before curfew." She nodded and quickly followed along behind him as he set off. Passing Ernie, Harry paused and turned to the boy still stuck against the stone. "Don't _ever_ threaten my sister again, Ernie. Remember that I sleep in the same room as you…"

As the twins continued forward they heard a confused shout ring out from behind. "But you're the Boy-Who-Lived!? You're supposed to be a hero!"

Harry just scowled over his shoulder and raised a single finger salute at his dormmate. "My only damsel is Rose. Get that through your head. I'm not a hero – I'm a brother!" He felt Rose grab his forearm and tug slightly. Shaking his head one last time at the typical wizarding male behind him, Harry twisted and set off to try and cheer Rose up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: As usual, a great thanks to my betas Thundramon and JordanMathias!


	4. Paths Forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Style wise, I have fully embraced the flashback-as-story experiment. Originally it was a plot device, now I find it interesting and am actually seeking to incorporate it into the story regularly. Fanfiction is partially a means to explore different ways of writing for me so just a heads-up that the flashbacks won't be petering off anytime soon.
> 
> I've altered canon's timeline a bit. I know that in the books the kids find Fluffy before the troll incident, but in the backstory to this fic I swapped those events. The troll is still canonically on Halloween in '91 but the Fluffy encounter takes place afterwards.

**Chapter 4: Paths Forward**

"Delacour! It's Miss Delacour isn't it?" The blonde ponce stated imperiously as he stopped in front of Gabrielle in the castle corridor. Draco Malfoy was not a large boy, but then again, neither was Gabrielle. At least…not yet. She was growing quickly, but the past two weeks had only gotten her up to about the level of a 12 year old. Still, appearing like she was 12 was better than looking like a 9 year old…Already she looked to have gained four inches in height and nearly twenty pounds of extra weight as her curves started filling out. Her face was less rounded and her hair was silkier than ever before.

" _Excusez moi_ ," Gabrielle stated with smile. Keeping her grimace from her face was exceedingly difficult knowing what the boy in front of her could/would be doing in barely a year and a half. The skin on her arm began itching as her feathers wanted to manifest and only supreme willpower forced the urge back down. "I am – what is ze word – _meeting_ wiz someone. _Pardon_!" She tried to push past him, but Malfoy just shifted to the side and grinned.

"The Potter twins? Who cares about them? You should come hang out with me and my friends. We can teach you English far faster, I'm certain. My father has quite a few tutors he can send to help out."

Gabrielle frowned and had to work harder at suppressing her feathers. The Change amplified emotions at this stage and she had already wanted to destroy the little cretin in front of her before the extra oomph. "Zank you for ze offer, but I am…um, I am already working wiz zose I trust. We will speak later, yes?" Not likely to happen. Unless Malfoy enjoyed speaking underwater. Not that there would be much in the way of talking on his end…A peace offering to the Mermen perhaps? _Without_ the benefit of a Bubble-Head Charm or gillyweed of course…

"Miss Delacour," Draco drawled as he cut off her attempts to pass him yet again. "I understand that you are invested in the Potters." Gabrielle's eyes narrowed at the emphasis he threw on 'invested'. "I feel like you and I _really_ should hang out more…one on one. The twins are so… _high profile_. It would be a _shame_ if someone brought some aspects of their lives to the spotlight now wouldn't it? Don't you want to distance yourself a bit in case that happens? Even if just to protect them?"

Gabrielle was completely unable to hide her growl at that. Her blood started boiling and calling out for the fire to rise and roast this little fool. It was not enough that Malfoy had sought to despoil Rose in the original timeline; now he sought to besmirch her own honor in a poorly disguised blackmail attempt?! "I am sorry, I don't quite understand ze words you speak. I really must be going, M. Malfoy." Gabrielle stepped forward, faked a trip and used the movement to drive a knee into his crotch. "I am so sorry! Eet ees zis growth spurt! So clumsy! _Au Revoir_!"

Gabrielle picked herself up and stepped over the whimpering pile of flesh and continued onto the Room of Requirement. They were going to have to deal with this.

* * *

" _Grrrrrrr_ …" A loud, rumbling growl echoed out behind Harry causing him to swiftly turn around while moving to shield Rose from whatever creature they'd awakened.

 _Monster, not creature,_ monster, he mentally corrected. _That's…that's a lot of heads…and a lot of teeth…bugger._

"Nice doggy, nice doggy," Rose breathed out behind him. Her hand on his belt was shaking hard enough that he could feel his robes jittering. "We'll just be going then. Niiiiccceee doggy."

"Rose, open the bloody door," Harry grunted as he aimed his wand at the snarling heads. Not that a puny little wand was going to be much help against a colossal cerberus when he barely knew any spells to cast.

"I'm _trying_! It's locked itself again!" One of the head's hackles raised and the growl shifted tenor into something that set Harry's knees rattling. "What was the stupid spell… _alohamako_ … _alohamalo…alohomora…_ Got it!"

Harry heard the door wrench open and Rose jerked him backwards just as the monster surged forward. The teeth of all three heads snapped closed an inch in front of his face as he fell back through the newly opened door dragging it shut as he went. The growling instantly stopped as Harry sprawled to the ground on top of his sister.

"Ow…thanks Rosy."

"What _crazy moron_ puts a bloodthirsty, evil, gigantic, _three-headed monster_ in the same castle as _students_?! It's only guarded by a _bloody lock first years can open_!" Rose ranted glaring at the door and breathing hard.

Soft footsteps sounded from a few paces away and a chuckle rang out. "That's Hogwarts in a nutshell for you. And Dumbledore's style in general. Wotcher, Potters, let me help you two up." Harry twisted enough as he rolled off of Rose to see the newcomer. He relaxed as he recognized the older girl. Her bright pink hair was hard to forget.

"Err, hi…Tonks right?" Harry asked accepting her hand as the Seventh Year pulled him to his feet and reached back down to haul Rose up as well.

"That's me! Just your Friendly Neighborhood 'Puff on her semi-nightly stroll through the castle! You lot alright?" Tonks chirped cheerfully though her eyes narrowed as she looked towards the door.

"More or less," Rose grumbled. "Bloody insane. All bloody wizards are _insane_."

Tonks laughed in earnest at that. "You have no idea. That 'puppy' is actually Hagrid's. Fluffy. The man is kind beyond belief, but his taste in pets is decidedly disturbed. Come on; let's head back to the dorm before Filch comes back up. He was headed down to the dungeons a minute ago, but I find it's better not to play tag with Filch. Though…I suppose I could just morph to Trelawney to keep us out of trouble." Tonks' features shifted and her eyes grew wider while her hair extended and her nose got larger. "I'm – hic – sorry, Argus, but I just – hic – had to get the Potter twins and tell them of my – hic – latest prophecy! They are going to _die_ and I just _had_ to get them despite the hour and – hic – _show_ them the spot!"

Harry found himself snorting at her antics and a small grin played over his lips. "She doesn't actually wander around drunk at night does she?"

"How do you think I avoid so many patrols while taking my walks of shame?" Tonks said smirking. "Granted I did try to morph into Sinistra once instead, but alas I was young and inexperienced; almost got caught that time."

Rose shook her head and turned back to gaze down the stairs towards the forbidden door. "You said this was normal for Hogwarts, Tonks?"

"Yup," Tonks waved a hand down towards the stairs they were currently walking on. "Staircases that move with people on them, Five X creatures in the forest a few hundred feet away, touchy centaurs with grudges and arrows, teachers that'd sooner use your parts for potions ingredients than teach, only one Healer, giant aggressive dogs with a big sign saying 'Come Check Me Out!'…I like to think of this place as weeding out the _excessively_ stupid and just leaving the _somewhat_ stupid."

Rose rubbed her forehead and shook her head while Harry just sighed. "And we thought Little Whinging was dangerous," he mumbled.

Tonks smiled as they finally pushed open the door to the Hufflepuff dorms. "It is fun though. All that danger, all that adventure! As long as you're careful, Hogwarts can be great! Just don't expect any of the teachers to save you. Dumbledore especially. He's super great at being a kindly old man and an adorable grandfather-like dude, but when it comes to sense, the Headmaster is distinctly lacking. Until this year I probably would've argued he was just playing it up, but keeping Fluffy in the castle and drawing attention to it? Barmy. Throws his whole persona into question it does."

Harry nodded along. He and Rose had long since come to the conclusion that Hogwarts was deadly. The incident a few days before with the troll had already proven that to the twins. They'd barely gotten Hermione out of that bathroom alive and if Susan hadn't been smart about blinding it as it ran onto the stairs after them then all five of them probably would have died.

"So what, you two figure that your escapades on Halloween weren't enough so now you wanted to go exploring? There are easier ways to build your street cred you know," Tonks said smirking at them.

Rose flopped into the couch and rested her head on the back with her eyes closed. "Heard the Malfoy git muttering he was going to set a trap 'for the Mudblood to make sure she was properly taken care of this time'. We didn't risk our bloody lives for the girl just so some ponce could get her killed through a stupid prank!"

Harry held up his hands to ward off Tonks' reply as he dropped into the cushion next to his sister. "We know he was probably just grandstanding. We just wanted to make sure. Hermione seems nice and she doesn't have many friends in Gryffindor. We didn't want her to have to deal with Malfoy on top of everything else."

Tonks nodded. "Hey, I'm not saying you're wrong. That's why you lot are with the Badgers after all. We stick with our friends. Just be a bit more careful next time yeah? I'm heading to bed, kids. You want to go wandering at night grab me first next time so I can morph and give you an alibi or something."

* * *

Harry groaned as he shifted his head. His neck gave an audible crack and he grunted.

"Not that I am complaining, Harry," the adorable Veela – whose lap he was resting in – said with a grin. "But you're going to wake up hurting if you sleep in that position."

"Shoulda warned me 'fore I fell asleep on you, Ella," Harry grumbled twisting so that he could look up at her as he opened his eyes.

"You needed the sleep." Gabrielle patted his cheek and reached her other hand down to cup his own. "Are ze flashbacks still occurring?"

"Yeah. Honestly, it's not that bad. I'm getting used to reliving something every time I shut my eyes." He shrugged as best he could while prostrate and flashed her a wide grin. "I'm just ecstatic that I remember anything! You and Rose are awesome, Ella!"

Gabrielle blushed and her hair fell forward to hide her face. "Zank you, Harry. I am glad it's working too…even if it is a tiny bit slower than we had hoped."

"It's working, that's the important thing. Where's Rose?"

Gabrielle gestured to the Room of Requirement's door. "Mailing our letter to Tonks and requesting a meeting with her and Sirius."

"Right. Mind if I stay in this position for another minute or two?" Harry asked with a yawn.

"I will _never_ mind you staying in this position, 'arry," Gabrielle purred with a wicked glint entering her eyes. A glint that quickly petered out into a narrow-eyed stare into the distance. "Well, in another two or three weeks I won't mind. Right now I'm still too _small_ to take proper advantage!"

"That _really_ annoys you doesn't it," Harry stated. He shifted positions enough that he could sit up more and gave an awkward hug to the girl. "It's really not that big of a deal to us, Ella."

Gabrielle sighed and shrugged. "I know. It's an issue to _me_ though. Being a Veela is hard enough without having to worry about the growth – or lack of growth – aspect. To say nothing of my dismal odds of having a son…But this is not your problem. I apologize."

Harry chuckled and grinned up at her. "Well for one, having a son _is_ kinda in part my problem, Ella. At least I would certainly hope it would be partly my problem." He chuckled harder as he saw the blush spreading successfully across her cheeks and winked up at her. "I'm also certainly not against having daughters. Let your sister worry about carrying on the family name, I will assemble my grand team of country-conquering female children devoted to me! Muwahaha!"

"Ooohhhh, I missed the world domination plans?" Rose's voice carried over to the two. The slight whine had just enough of a lilt that it set Harry and Gabrielle both giggling. Rose came over to the couch and picked Harry's feet up before plopping down and dragging them back over her own legs. "So which government are we targeting first? Britain is the closest, but I figure we can make a decent play for Australia. Everyone knows that if you take Australia in Risk you can tank the rest of the game and sweep in to pick up the strays and win it all!"

Gabrielle snorted and rolled her eyes. "I do not know what game you are playing, Rose, but I distinctly remember beating you whenever you tried that strategy."

"Sounds like a challenge," Rose commented offhand. Harry looked between the two and laughed again as he took in their expressions and mock glares.

"So, Rose, get the letter sent off?" he asked.

Rose nodded. "Yup. Hedwig is rather unhappy that you haven't been visiting with her more by the way. She requests a visit later tonight or first thing tomorrow before class."

Gabrielle crossed her arms and huffed. "I will never understand how you two communicate with that owl so well. It is not even the Familiar Bond; I checked!"

Harry just shrugged again. "We've always understood Hedwig and vice versa. She's a _very_ smart owl."

"More likely a hiding animagus…" Gabrielle muttered glaring at the wall again. "Stupid elitist bird…"

Rose laughed and reached over to pat Gabrielle's cheek before grinning down at Harry. "Hedwig was a bit annoyed with Ella for withholding the bacon one morning shortly after we met up. She gave our girl the cold shoulder for almost a month! By the time she was starting to warm up to Ella Snape killed her."

Harry blinked several times trying to process that statement. In the end he just gaped and stared at his sister. " _What_?!"

Rose sighed and shrugged. "Dumbledore sent him to bring me back. Voldemort sent him to kidnap me. The Order sent him to make sure I was okay…I really don't know or care about which group he ascribed allegiance towards at the time. All I know is when I refused he shot a spell at me, Hedwig tanked it instead and she never recovered. Ella roasted him afterwards so we didn't really get to interrogate him as much as I would have liked."

"Just because I did not _get along_ with ze owl did not mean I did not _like_ ze owl," Gabrielle huffed.

"Riiiighht. Don't piss off the Veela. Noted," Harry said taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "So, anyway…"

"Oh!" Gabrielle interjected. She blushed a bit and looked to the twins before getting amused nods to continue. "Sorry. I just wanted to tell you both zat we may have a… _small_ problem. Earlier today I was waylaid by Draco Malfoy. He feels he has something on the two of you and he is threatening to release it to his father or have his father release it himself. I'm honestly not entirely certain. He seemed to imply the former, but the _dégénéré crétin_ doesn't possess the brain cells to figure anything out for himself so I find it somewhat unlikely."

Harry rolled off the couch and quickly repositioned so that he was sitting and conversing with the girls on eye level before he replied. "And _why_ was he talking to _you_ about this, Ella? I know you can take care of yourself, but do we need to start making sure that someone is going around with you?"

Gabrielle snorted and waved off his concern. "Please, do not worry, Harry. I can make fire dance across my fingertips; little Malfoy isn't going to be doing anything to me that I don't approve of. He came to me because he is apparently schooled enough in Veela biology that he recognizes I am soon to be an acceptable target for his urges. He was attempting to leverage his knowledge and influence against my interest in you both in order to get under my skirt. His effort at blackmailing me into a physical relationship was disgusting and very thinly veiled."

Rose scowled and her lip lifted into a silent snarl. "We should just kill him now and cut the thing off at the root. I can do it tonight. I'll use the Cloak to sneak into the dorms and then transfigure the body into something small enough to be eaten by the skrewts. No one will ever find him."

" _Non_ , we should wait another week. Zen I will be grown enough that I will have full control of the Allure," Gabrielle stated shaking her head. "I'll…what do you call it? Whammy! I'll whammy him and he can walk out into the Forbidden Forest himself. It will look more natural and less suspicious. Better that he is seen disappearing instead of simply vanishing from his bed."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Harry yelled bringing his hands up into a time-out symbol. "He's _14_ and you two are casually plotting to murder him! Rose! When the bloody hell did you get so violent! Ella! I thought you were supposed to be the moderator here!"

Rose scowled at him and shook her head violently enough for her hair to slap the side of her face. "I got violent when I learned to take care of myself, Harry," she said voice cold and emotionless. "When did you get so cautious?"

"When I nearly got one of my mates killed in a hunt by rushing in like an idiot," Harry growled back. Both siblings glared at each other for several seconds before letting out angry huffs and turning away to stare at the wall with their arms crossed. Gabrielle just lifted an eyebrow at each and settled back further into the couch to watch the show.

"Harry," Rose said eventually. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that to you. But you need to understand, I _am_ going to kill Malfoy; both of them. Hell, I'll tag Narcissa too if I can though she's less important. Draco…" she trailed off and shut her eyes. Gabrielle reached out to squeeze Rose's hand and eventually she continued. "Draco was the second one to try and rape me. This was during Fifth Year, after I killed Vernon. He was a bit smarter about it. He got Crabbe and Goyle to help hold me down and ambushed me in a secluded part of the castle. I only got away because Millicent Bulstrode happened to walk by at just the right time. She startled them and froze when she saw what was going on. Goyle let go of me to tell her off and I grabbed his wand. Got all three of them. Millicent helped me to hide the bodies."

Harry scowled and had to take several deep breaths as he fought to rein in his roiling magic. His hands clenched hard enough for the nails to puncture skin and his eyes blazed with emerald fire. Finally after more time than he cared to think about he felt calm enough to form words. "Okay, then. Rose, I apologize. I am against killing people just because they are in our way, but if they hurt you before, they'd hurt you again. Ella, are you sure you can make him seem like he's walking into the Forest of his own will and not because he's been given magical roofies?"

"I am and I can. I am very skilled with the Allure, Harry." Gabrielle shrugged before continuing on. "The Change has it in flux, but once it quiets down I can do it easily enough. I am far more in tune with my Veela nature than my sister ever was."

"Right. We do it that way then," Harry said letting out a deep breath. "Rose, I want him taken out too now, but we have to be smart. If he has already told his father something then we need our hands to be squeaky clean."

Rose nodded. "I understand and I agree. I can wait. If he tries to assault Ella though I make no promises."

"Agreed," both Gabrielle and Harry stated simultaneously. Gabrielle turned to cast a shy smile at Harry before leaning over and kissing both siblings on the cheeks. "You two are too good to me. I _can_ handle myself though. Unlike you both I can reliably defend without a wand."

"No, you can reliably _set fire_ to things without a wand," Rose commented with a snort. "That's not the same thing, Ella."

"The best defense is a good offense!" Gabrielle scoffed with a grin. Both Potters looked to each other and rolled their eyes before laughing along with their partner. Path forward set for the moment, all three just relaxed for the remainder of their time before the next class period.

* * *

It took three days for Tonks to respond to their letter. Harry was mildly surprised when she agreed to meet without any explanation and had already gone as far as getting a private room in Hogsmeade during their weekend trip. It was easy enough to slip away from their study group and head up to the room. Gabrielle had managed to beg off from her sister's entourage as well in order to spend the day with the twins. All in all, Harry felt a mild shudder run down his back at the thought of how _simple_ it was to get Hogwarts students alone if someone really wanted to.

"Have I mentioned recently how poor the castle security is?" Harry murmured to the others as they climbed the stairs to the second floor of the Three Broomsticks.

"Well considering you two have a Death Eater for a teacher, I feel like that is a rather redundant observation," Gabrielle replied with a snicker.

Rose snorted at that and shook her head with a small smirk. "Which one? There are _two_ after all. Three if you count Karkaroff."

"Ha, ha, ha, laugh it up you two. I _was_ being serious."

Gabrielle winked at him and rolled her eyes. "So was I." She pushed open the door that Tonks had reserved and walked in waving. " 'ello! We are 'ere to see ze Tonks and the Dogfather!"

Rose groaned and slapped a hand over her face. Harry chuckled and waved his sister ahead, closing the door behind them. He turned and met Tonks' raised eyebrows with a shrug. "Don't mind, Gabi, she's excitable."

Sirius, still in his animagus form trotted over to the Veela and panted for a few moments before licking her hand eliciting a giggle. Tonks' eyebrows rose further and she turned to Harry and Rose fully. "I thought we were doing this alone?"

"You can trust Gabi," Rose replied. "She's with us. Completely. She's actually more read into the current state of things than you are. Which is part of the reason we wanted to chat."

"Okay, if you're sure…" Tonks sighed and waved her wand, quietly setting up several powerful privacy wards. She had barely lowered her wand before shooting a stinging hex at Sirius. "Oi, Dogfather! Less slobbering, more introductions!"

Sirius almost immediately changed back into his human form with his hands clutching his backside and jumping back towards the wall of the room. He whined and cast a pitiable look at Tonks. "That hurt! Did you have to cast the hex _that_ powerfully?"

"No. But it's more fun that way. Wotcher, Harry, Rose. Who's your friend? Gabi? I'm betting on Gabrielle Delacour then?"

"Zat is correct," Gabrielle said nodding to Tonks. She smiled and curtsied. "It is a pleasure to meet you Auror Tonks, Mr. Black."

"Technically it's still Auror Trainee," Tonks said. "I don't officially graduate for another month or so."

Sirius for his part kept rubbing his behind with one hand as he cast a critical gaze over the young girl. "It's Sirius for me. You're awfully unconcerned with meeting a wanted murderer nearly alone in a warded room."

Gabrielle giggled and rolled her eyes. "No one believes I can take care of myself. Sirius, if you try anyzing against me or my friends I can throw an enchanted fireball into your face almost as fast as you can blink." Sirius and Tonks both had wide eyes at that pronouncement though Gabrielle wasn't entirely done. "Besides, you are Harry and Rose's godfather; you would never hurt them. The British people are stupid. I am not."

Sirius just stared for a moment before laughing and dropping into a seat. "I can't tell whether I love her or think she's too haughty for her own good! Hey there, twins! How's it going you two?"

"Well things have been better, but they could _certainly_ be worse," Harry said grinning at Sirius and Tonks as he took his own seat. "It's good to see you both again."

"Agreed," Rose said smiling. Harry resisted the urge to sigh as Rose steadfastly avoided looking at their godfather. "And as much as we'd love to catch up we really should talk first."

Sirius frowned and leaned forward casting a hard gaze at first Harry then Rose. "I know you two tend to avoid beating around the bush, but this is fast even for you. What's going on?"

Rose's smile twisted into something dark – something like what a lioness would flash to a gazelle before leaping on its back. "We know how Voldemort is keeping himself alive."

The silence in the room was deafening all on its own. It was a good ten seconds before Tonks or Sirius managed to do more than blink and stare. Finally Tonks' eyes narrowed and she cast another layer of privacy charms. "How? And how do you know?"

"How we _know_ we can discuss later," Harry stated. "How he's doing it though…that's actually relatively easy to answer. Horcruxes."

Tonks' expression didn't change, but Sirius' reaction was extreme. His lips curled into a snarl, an animalistic growl rumbled out of his throat and his eyes narrowed to slits. Slamming a fist against his armrest his growl deepened. "That bloody, Merlin-be-damned bastard! He probably got the instruction book from the Black library too! Mother would've given that monster her firstborn if he asked! Hell, she _tried_ to!"

Gabrielle frowned and reached over to lightly lay a hand over Sirius' arm. He instantly calmed slightly; not enough for Tonks to take notice, but enough for Harry and Rose to cock their heads slightly aside at Gabrielle. The Veela just smiled inside. The last few days had massively improved her control of the Allure as it began to settle down. At this rate she might not even have to wait another week to take care of her Malfoy problem. "Calm, Sirius. Ze abomination knew how to make the things before he was sixteen. Your mother would not have looked twice at him at zat point in his life. Not while he was still associated with his half-blood beginnings."

"Sixteen?" Tonks asked. Her mouth dropped open a second later and enough color drained from her face to _literally_ leave her white. "Diary…"

"Yeah," Rose said nodding. "Pretty good thing I stabbed it the other year, huh?"

"Morgana's tits! I _knew_ something was up with that, but Moody said it was pointless to ask to examine it because 'Dumbledore had already done every test in the book'!" Tonks growled. "Old man is crazy as a gourd and paranoid to extremes and he lets his _one_ blindspot get the best of him!"

Harry gaped at Tonks momentarily lost for words as he tried to process that. "You asked Moody to look at the diary?"

"Of course I did! A girl got possessed the year after I left the school. The year after a _cerberus_ was guarding the _bloody Philosopher's Stone_! I'm a trainee, I'm not stupid. Of _course_ there was something going on with that dairy."

Sirius sighed and leaned back wiping a hand down his face. "Tonks, you have a Muggleborn father who has the good grace to have some sense plus a mother who – while strict – is also renowned for her rationality and practicality. Not many wizards or witches have that. A lot of us just shake our heads at these things and mutter about it being sad or a run of bad luck. Me included."

Gabrielle grinned and shot them both a grin. "Yet you are improving, Sirius. Now, obviously zis diary is not the only one he has."

"Hold on," Tonks said raising a hand and shaking her head. "Just what exactly _is_ a Horcrux? Some repository of hidden power or something? Keeps feeding him juice?"

"No," Sirius said. "It's a soul jar. You perform a pretty horrific ritual to prepare a vessel then you kill someone – an innocent. You have to _want_ to kill them too, to _enjoy_ the act. It breaks the soul a bit and then the final part of the ritual tears the ripped section off and stuffs it into the vessel. While it exists you're anchored. A variant on it was used by some of the Ancient Egyptians with their mummies though those were a more neutral variety rather than straight up Black Magic. Different base rituals and all."

"Hell," Tonks murmured. "Alright, so he has more meaning he's still around. How many times can this thing be done? I'm betting he went right up to the limit."

"Mother's books always said that three pieces of soul was the limit to preserve full sanity. Theoretically going up to seven pieces would give a nice magic boost though you'd be a few balls short of a Quidditch match at that point."

Rose snorted. "Well either Riddle missed the memo or he just didn't care. Voldemort has six Horcruxes. Seven technically, but the last one doesn't _quite_ count in the traditional fashion."

Tonks turned and focused back on the teens. "Do you know what they are?"

Gabrielle nodded. "We do. Ze first was the diary. It has obviously been destroyed. Ze second was a ring passed down in the Gaunt family, Riddle's mother's family. The third and fourth were a locket once owned by Salazar Slytherin and a cup that was enchanted by Helga Hufflepuff. The fifth was a diadem created by Rowena Ravenclaw. The sixth was the accidental one that doesn't quite count. The final one is his familiar, ze snake Nagini."

Sirius blinked several times and worked his mouth a bit before finally shaking his head and finding his voice. "You, young one, are surprisingly well informed."

"We did tell you that she was more up to speed than you guys," Rose said with a heavy sigh. She glared at Sirius though the expression was gone quickly enough that Harry was reasonably certain he was the only one who had noticed it. He reached over and laid a hand on his twin's leg, his touch working to calm her just as effectively as Gabrielle's had worked on Sirius a few minutes earlier.

"What's the sixth?" Tonks asked narrowing her gaze between the three teens. "We're not going to like it are we otherwise you wouldn't have skipped it."

"First," Harry said raising a hand, "know that the girls have a plan to deal with it. We just can't do it until the day we get out of school for the summer."

"Oooookkkaaaay…Because that is so reassuring…"

"I'm the Horcrux," Harry said sighing. He reached up and lifted the fringe of his hair off of his scar. "More specifically, the bit of skull behind my scar is the anchor for the soul piece."

Surprisingly there was no stunned silence at that announcement. Instead the noise that exploded from Tonks and Sirius nearly bowled Harry, Rose and Gabrielle over. Both of the older personnel had jumped to their feet and started shouting.

"…Over my dead body!..."

"…no way! If you think for a moment that we're just going to stand by…"

"…wake Merlin himself if I have to!..."

"…hare-brained scheme do you think you have _this_ time?!..."

Rose scowled and lifted her wand loosing a small cannon blast. It set Harry's ears ringing but thankfully did its job and got Tonks and Sirius to sit back down though the deep scowls etched on their features made clear it was under protest. " _As we said_ , we have a plan. If either of you two idiots think I'm letting someone curse my brother in the vain hope that he wakes up from the dead afterwards you're insane. No. We're putting this to rest the _Muggle_ way. We're going to go to surgeon and cut out the bit of bone that the Voldemort shard is holding onto. We're going to replace it with metal or plastic or whatever the hell Muggles use these days and then we're going to wake Harry up and gleefully stab the piece to death with either a sword or a basilisk fang. I haven't decided what's going to be more satisfying yet."

Tonks blinked as Sirius did his best fish impression. Finally Tonks snorted and leaned back crossing her arms and shaking her head though the ghost of a smile presented itself on her lips. "Someone do me a favor and remind me to never piss off Rose, yeah? Merlin, girl, I knew you could be fiery from when we met, but that's right Black Family worthy there."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Rose grumbled scowling as she instinctively squeezed Harry's hand. He refused to allow his grimace to show as she cut off the circulation to his fingers. "Now that that's out of everyone's system, the others. Sirius you actually have the locket in your house. Ask Kreacher what 'Master Regulus' was trying to destroy."

"What Regulus _what_?!"

Harry shrugged and gave Sirius a sad smile. "Your brother changed his mind, Sirius. He just did it too late. He helped Kreacher get the locket from its hiding place. He just died before they could destroy the thing."

"He…Regulus…but he…" Sirius drifted off and turned to stare at the floor crumpling in on himself to a degree that almost had Harry ignoring his dislike of human contact and going to hug the man. Almost.

"…The others?" Tonks asked, the strain in her voice causing a slight crack on the end.

"Ze ring is…well protected, but not hard to reach. We will give you ze details before we head out," Gabrielle said slowly. "The diadem is actually on hand. Ze Cup though…Zat one Harry and Rose will have to get themselves. Eet is in the Lestrange vault. We believe that a clever application of debt will convince the goblins to trade a favor as compensation. It is certainly easier zan Plan B."

Tonks grimaced and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm going to regret this…Just what is Plan B? Please don't tell me it's breaking into Gringotts and stealing from one of the lowest levels in the goblin's bank."

"It's breaking into Gringotts and stealing from one of the lowest levels in the goblin's bank," Rose stated grinning that predatory smile again. Harry groaned and squeezed his sister's hand. She really seemed to dislike the goblins…

"That's _Plan B_ ," Harry said trying to head off the groan and lecture from their friends. "It's not a good plan, but it's a plan."

Sirius barked out a desperate laugh and shook his head. "And I thought that James was insane sometimes. You two, well, you _three_ are that old dog on Hyper-Up."

"Hyper-Up?" Rose asked cocking her head to the side as she frowned.

"Stronger concentration of Pepper-Up. Hard to make. Your mother invented it. She then promptly banned any of us from ever using it again after I promptly ran around the castle grounds six times, performed the infamous 'Puff Panty Raid, and pranked the entire Great Hall before lunch. It was…impressive. Very tiring afterwards when it wore off, but fun while it lasted."

Rose could only goggle at him for a few moments before snorting and leaning back. Harry heard her mutter under her breath. "Well _that_ would have useful on some of those long nights…"

Sirius shook his head and refocused. "Wait, you said the diadem was on hand? Isn't that supposed to be lost?"

"Long story. Anozer time," Gabrielle stated. She opened her bag and gingerly pulled out the Horcrux laying it in the center of their little circle. Her lips curled into a scowl and Harry saw a few licks of flame curl around her fingertips. "We zought that proof might be required. 'arry, Rose? Do you mind if I do ze honors?"

"All yours, girl. I always was curious if Veela fire was strong enough to destroy a Horcrux," Rose said smiling though now her gaze was directed firmly at the piece of lost history below her. Harry felt his magic stir into a raging inferno inside him as he glared along with her. He gave a curt nod of his head that he could only assume Gabrielle took for his consent.

"Eet should be. _Fiendfyre_ is a wizard's bastardized form of our own flame. Same source, different emotion." Gabrielle snarled fully and spat at the diadem as a spattering of feathers sprouted from her arms and a light tearing noise sounded from her back. She pulled her hand back and abruptly tossed it forward again a small globe of liquid flame lancing out to the floor. As the fire touched the diadem, there was a moment of bated silence before an inky black smoke started to curl up from the item along with an ear-piercing shriek of pain and anguish. In barely a second it was over. The fire died out and melting golden fragments were all that was left of a piece of Rowena Ravenclaw's legacy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fanfic Rec: 'A Twins Understanding' by Nemesis13. This is a Harry/AltUniverseFemDark!Harry/AltUniverseSecondinCommandDark!Hermione fic which is actually more complicated than it sounds. The short version is that Harry's twin sister is a complete idiot while an alternate universe Dark Lady version of her ends up jumping through the Veil with Hermione. Lilith ends up taking up residence in the vapid idiot prior to 5th year while Hermione popped in after the Troll Incident. It's twincest, but with a twist since Lilith is not Harry's sister despite everyone except Hermione believing she is. It's very good and extremely well written, but sadly has not been updated in a while; which sucks since it was just getting to good part.


	5. Snakes and Centaurs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Thank you very much to my new beta, Grey Raven 09. His help has greatly improved this chapter and the delays were all mine. This was actually intended to have an additional three or four scenes but it was growing into a bit of beast so I figured it was better to split it here. Enjoy the latest chapter, folks!

**Chapter 5: Snakes and Centaurs**

As the small group stared at the melted remains of the Diadem, Gabrielle's feathers slowly merged back into her flesh and her wings receded. She shook herself slightly and pulled her Allure back down damping the rage and love she had pulled up to call the passionfyre. Lifting her eyes she focused on Sirius and let a thread of the Allure leak out to curl around him briefly. "Monsieur Black, per'aps you and I could take a walk for a few minutes? I would very much like to breathe a spot of fresh air and I would appreciate a guardian."

Sirius blinked slightly dilated eyes before he refocused and nodded. "Sure. Tonks, can you keep the twins entertained? We probably won't be too long, right, Gabrielle?"

"Of course! Zis should only be a short walk. I just need to clear my 'ead of zese fumes and thoughts." As Sirius changed back to Padfoot and stepped up beside her, Gabrielle turned and headed towards the door. She lightly trailed her hand along Rose's arm as she brushed past the girl and shot a reassuring smile to Harry. While she wasn't entirely sure they should be bringing Tonks into their confidence she would trust her Mates' judgment. From what she'd known of the woman in the original timeline, Nymphadora Tonks was a person worth the benefit of the doubt. The twins could handle the explanations while she kept the dogfather distracted. "We will be right back."

* * *

The door had barely shut before Tonks raised her eyebrows at the two across from her. "You know if you wanted to be alone with me, you guys could've just asked."

"Yeah, well, we are trying not to hurt Sirius' feelings," Harry commented grimacing and running a hand through his hair.

"Speak for yourself," Rose muttered beside him. Harry sighed and discreetly elbowed her side earning him an annoyed glare.

"So what's really going on?" Tonks asked, deliberately ignoring the exchange. "And why don't you want Sirius to know?"

Harry took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders before answering. "We don't want Sirius to know for two reasons. The first is that he's still hot-headed, and we don't know how liable he is to go running off to do Merlin-knows-what with this info. Better to be safe than sorry. The second is that, quite honestly, the three of us have decided that you've _earned_ the right to know. We're still trying to reach a consensus regarding our godfather."

Tonks nodded slowly, her eyes narrowing. "Riiight…Okay then. I'm just going to stay quiet and reserve my comments about just how I supposedly impressed you guys enough – especially since I only met Gabrielle a few minutes ago – until after you're done."

"Probably smart," Rose commented with a shrug. She shook herself and sat up straighter. "Tonks, you asked how we know what we know before. We're so well informed because we've been through a version of this already. Harry, Gabrielle and I have an additional ten years worth of memories. We may look like we're fourteen, but we're not. We're twenty four and we aim to finish all of our enemies off before we hit fifteen. Again."

Rose watched Tonks lean back and cross her arms. The older woman's eyes flicked from one twin to the other while her hair flipped through a blinding rainbow of colors before settling on a muted, deep blue. Ever so slowly she nodded her head. "Bloody hell…I didn't expect bloody time travel, but…it makes sense."

Rose barely managed to keep her mouth from dropping open at that soft proclamation. Harry was not so successful beside her. "You believe us? Just like that?! Bloody hell!"

"Oh come on," Tonks snorted. "You come in here spouting off a succinct list of how to kill the Dark Lord himself. You have a pubescent Veela you only technically met a week or two ago in tow who's just as in the loop as you two are. A Veela who has a decidedly _inconsistent_ accent; who is obviously trying far too hard to pretend she doesn't have a good grasp of English. You not only have a Horcrux _on_ you, but you _also_ have a halfway decent plan to get the one out of Harry without too much trouble. To top things off, said plan has all the smatterings of common sense and thoughtfulness that an adult problem-solver would come up with, not a set of rash teenagers who tend to act before leaping. I can't speak for Gabrielle, but you two always had a heck of a lot more Gryffindor in you than Hufflepuff as far as I saw. _Of course_ you're going to be some sort of time traveling trio."

Rose stayed quiet for a few moments longer after Tonks wound to a close. She started to chuckle and it morphed into a full-belly laugh. "Tonks, I really missed you! Do you know how annoying it is dealing with witches and wizards without common sense?"

Tonks rolled her eyes leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. "Probably a good thing though considering I'm betting you three want to keep this quiet. So how bad was it? I'm guessing we lost since you're here? Does _He_ come back soon and that's why you chose now to make time your personal bitch?"

Harry snorted at that comment, though the smile spreading across his cheeks gave proof to his feelings towards Tonks' attitude. "Partially. We had actually aimed for the summer before this year, but we undershot when pulling Gabi into the runic circle, and wound up waking up during the Second Task. Well… _they_ had aimed for the summer. I was a blissfully ignorant Muggle at the time of the actual planning."

"A Muggle?" she asked. Her eyes widened and her mouth formed into an 'O' as Tonks' hair faded to jet black while her irises flashed to a blood red. "The Ministry _bound your magic_?! What the ever-loving-Merlin-buggering-codswallop is that bullshit!?"

Rose blinked several times. Her grin spread out into one she usually reserved for her enemies. "Oh, I am so keeping that curse in my vocabulary now. To answer your sentiment, yes. The Wizengamot, at Umbitch and Fudge's direction, decided that Harry defending himself from Dementors was a lie. Not to mention that he apparently wasn't allowed to use magic in front of a Squib or our cousin despite both knowing about magic and having their souls on the line. That bitch set us up to either die or be tossed out, and she gleefully threw him to goddamn wolves!"

"And not only did they bind my magic and obliviate me, Umbridge also hid me in Australia and pretended that she had had me killed," Harry said laying a hand on Rose's leg and squeezing hard. Rose started to take deep breaths to force her anger down as Harry continued. "Tonks, Gabrielle was there for Rose when I couldn't be. She helped her through it and together they looked for me for the next decade. Most of what they found about how to kill Voldemort actually came from their sporadic communications with you during their hunt. When we said you had earned to right to know, we meant it – even if you don't remember it."

"And Sirius…He did something stupid when you were condemned didn't he?" Tonks asked softly, her hair shifting to mousy brown.

"He tried to attack Umbitch by himself in her own home!" Rose spat, her rage flaring back up and the teapot in the corner rattling from the uncontrolled magic she was radiating. "Of course she was expecting it. She wanted _me_ to do it so she'd have justification for getting rid of me too. When Sirius showed up instead she gleefully took second prize and used her ambush to kill him! I should have had his help, his training, and access to his money when I went looking for Harry. Instead all I bloody well had was a broken mirror and _scraps_! We were stealing from people to survive half the time, until Ella had the bright idea of selling a watered down version of the story to a ghostwriter! That fuckwit made things so much harder than they had to be by making _the same goddamn mistake_ that sent him to Azkaban! He – "

"Rose!" Harry shouted breaking through her rant. He shifted to kneel in front of her and took her face in his hands leaning his forehead against hers. "Rosy, calm down. Please. Sirius is impulsive, he always was and he always will be. You can't blame him for trying to protect us in his own way. Let it go, Rosy."

Rose screwed her eyes shut feeling the tears slip down her face and not caring about it at all. She felt Harry stand and wrap her in a hug burying her head into his chest. "He left me _alone_ , Harry! Hermione said you were dead! Tonks tried to help, but she had to keep up appearances at the Ministry to be of any use down the line. Neville, Susan and Sally-Anne all got pulled out to attend Beauxbatons! Justin left the country. I didn't feel safe at Grimmauld anymore. He left me _alone_!"

"You're not alone now, Rosy," Harry murmured squeezing her hard enough that she had to fight to breathe. "I'm never leaving you again. And Sirius is going to make up for being an idiot. You'll see. We'll make him grow-up. You and Ella bent time into a pretzel; surely we can convince a Black to show some foresight?"

Rose's sobs gave way to hiccups as she pulled herself back to together. She clutched at Harry for a final moment before she pulled back ever so slightly and let him sit back down beside her. Rose wiped her eyes with the edge of her robes and tried to shake the melancholy off, as she looked back up. She tried not to flinch as she saw Tonks' sad downcast eyes shifting between Harry and herself. She'd completely forgotten the metamorph was even there…

"Right," Tonks murmured. "Well I guess that answers one of my questions." She picked at her jeans and met the eyes of each of the twins. "Look you guys, I may not fully agree with…well you both, but I'm not going to judge. I don't have the right and it's not my life. The three of you can live your lives however you want and I'll still stand beside you. I promised you that three years ago and I intend to follow through."

Harry nodded and squeezed Rose's hand. "Thanks, Tonks. We really appreciate it."

The metamorph nodded. "Sure. Give me the details and I'll work on getting the Ring Horcrux from wherever it's hidden. I'll talk with Sirius as well; try to subtly remind him about why he was locked away and how he needs to be smart now and all that. Not sure how much it'll help, but I'll try."

"Cool," Rose murmured. She took another shuddering breath and said louder, "Any other questions?"

"Well, not so much a question as a suggestion," Tonks said perking up a bit. She grinned slightly and her hair lightened back to bubblegum-pink. "Instead of sticking a weird metal plate into Harry's noggin, why don't we just use Skelegrow?"

Harry and Rose both blinked at their friend for several silent seconds before Rose started to laugh and Harry slapped a hand against his forehead. "I _knew_ we were forgetting something simple!" he exclaimed.

* * *

Harry kept his face firmly set in a mask of stone as he trudged through the underground tunnel levitating the unconscious Lockhart ahead. "This has got to be one of our worst ideas ever," he muttered to Rose walking next to him.

"Well, I am open to _other_ ideas," Rose growled beside him. "It's not like we have many options, Harry! Sprout looks at us like we're the spawn of Satan, McGonagall blew us off again, Flitwick has disappeared off to Gringotts, Snape would probably just kill us himself and blame the basilisk, Hagrid's in Azkaban, the upper years think we're responsible and we've already agreed that we're not getting our few actual friends involved. There's no one left!"

"We _could_ have gone to one of the other professors," Harry replied. A moment later he clarified, "I mean, one of the ones who might have actually been _useful_. And not tried to Obliviate and leave us for dead."

Rose's snarl probably could've frightened the basilisk if it had been nearby. Harry risked casting an eye towards his sister and saw sparks shooting off her wand and scorching the rocks. "If Lockhart survives this we are going to _destroy_ him." The rage in her tone almost made Harry miss a step. Generally _he_ was the one who got that _angry_ , Rose was supposed to be the quiet one…Her scowl deepened and she continued. "We couldn't go to the other professors anyway. If McGonagall didn't believe us and we have _classes_ with her, why would the people who _don't_ interact with us believe us when we come in saying we found the bloody _Chamber of Secrets_?"

Harry blew out a breath and scowled. "Well we could've gotten a message to the Aurors then, Rose! Or at least stopped for a chicken! This might as well be suicide!"

"Stop yelling at me! This is not my fault!" Rose shot back glaring at him as her wand sparked further. "You know as well as I do that Ginevra will die long before we can get any sort of backup." She crossed her arms and turned her gaze to the floor, her eyes still narrowed. "And the stupid thing is weak to _roosters_ not _chickens_."

"Same difference," Harry muttered. "Why do we even care about rescuing Ginevra? We could've just told her brothers and been done with it."

Rose sighed and steadfastly avoided looking at him. She was silent long enough that Harry had almost become convinced she wasn't going to answer until she softly began to speak. "She helped me up when those upperclassmen pushed me down the stairs. We may not be friends with her Harry, but she doesn't deserve to die down here. We can't just leave her if we can do something about it."

Harry sighed. "Somehow I doubt that most of the people in this school would feel the same way about us if the positions were reversed." He slowed to a stop as a gigantic stone door inlaid with multiple snakes came into view just around the final corner. "Guess we're here. Revive Lockhart before we open it or after?"

"Stupid Slytherin and his stupid snakes and his stupid secrets…" Rose grumbled. She shook her head and said louder, "After. If we can do this by sneaking then let's do it by sneaking. Better chance of walking back out. I got the door, budge over."

He nodded and stepped to the side – 'accidentally' bumping Lockhart's head into the ceiling several times in the process. Harry watched as Rose moved to the door, focused on the snake carving and murmured, ~ _Open_.~ The snake swiftly coiled around the door, popping the locks open and leaving the stone to swing wipe.

"This is _such_ a bad idea," he murmured.

"Shhh!" Rose hissed and the two of them scurried quickly through the portal.

They ran behind one of the giant pillars lining the room and carefully peeked around the side. In the center of the chamber Harry could make out a three or four story statue of who could only be Salazar Slytherin. On the ground in front of the statue he saw the small form of the Weasley sister with a faintly flickering specter hovering over her and inspecting something on her chest.

"A ghost. Seriously?!" Harry murmured. "A bloody _ghost_ is responsible for all this chaos? How does a ghost even kidnap someone? They can't interact with things!"

Rose shrugged and Harry could practically hear the gears turning in her head. "Peeves can interact just fine. I know that Japanese ghosts tend to be evil bastards who can also mess with things too. Lots of Americans always complain about being possessed; maybe it possessed her and made her bring herself down here when someone got suspicious."

"We can't kill a ghost, Rose!" Harry snarled. "We can barely cast piercing and blasting curses. Unless you've been studying 'Exorcism For Dummies' I think we're out of our league here."

"We were out of our league when we decided to hunt a basilisk."

" _Sneak past_ a basilisk! Not hunt!"

Rose snorted and turned to her brother with a wide smile. "Potaytoe, potahtoe. Look, all these stories have the more corporeal ghosts being tied to _something_ right? The way that thing is bent over Ginevra I'd say whatever it is, she's holding it. So we break it, we break the ghost."

Harry could only stare at her for seconds before mustering a reply. "How the heck do you know that?"

Rose rolled her eyes at him. "I actually _read_ the History book, dummy. You should try it. There's some cool stuff in there despite Binn's personal version of the world consisting solely of Goblin Revolutions."

Harry found it exceeding hard to resist the impulse to smash his head against the wall. He took several deep breaths and finally nodded. "Okay so since you seem to know what you're doing, I suppose I'll go basilisk fishing to distract the beastie while you kill the ghost. Give me a shout when it's dead yeah? Maybe the monster will listen to me once its master is dead."

"Or me cause I killed its master," Rose replied softly. She hesitated for a moment before turning fully and crushing Harry in a massive hug. "Don't get hurt okay, brother? Come back to me."

"Not going anywhere, Rosy," he murmured wrapping his arms around her and squeezing just as tightly. He held on for nearly an eternity before pulling back. Putting on his poker face he twisted, picked the still stunned Lockhart back up and crept out to one of the further pillars.

He was about a hundred feet from the central corridor when he turned his head trying to catch sight of his sister. A brief flash of red hair next to the first pillar ahead of the statue proved she was close enough. Harry whistled loudly and shouted out in Parseltongue, ~ _King of Serpents! I am Harry James Potter and I call for a parlay! We are willing to provide you with food if you will agree to cease attacking students!_ ~ When had his life changed enough that he started facing off against a snake that could kill with its eyes by promising to feed it? How was this remotely sane?

An echoing laughter filled the chamber and for a brief moment Harry thought that it was the basilisk itself before scowling at his own gullibility. Of course it wasn't the basilisk. It was the ghost. This was good, if the ghost was laughing at Harry, it wasn't concentrating on Rose. "Harry Potter! So nice of you to join us! This saves me so much trouble, boy. If you're here that means your sister is too!" _Shite_. "I don't know which one of you officially destroyed my original self, so I'll just have to kill you both!"

"What are you talking about?" Harry shouted back. He saw the ghost step out from behind the nearest pillar and nearly cheered at the brief glimpse of Rose darting out from further back and rushing towards Ginny.

The ghost simply smiled and walked closer to Harry and Lockhart. Its eyes briefly flickered towards the floating professor and then focused back onto Harry. It spread its hands wide and Harry shivered despite himself. "Harry, Harry, Harry. Nobody should die unaware of their own enemies. Unless said death serves a purpose of course. Myrtle certainly assisted me well enough in that fashion. Old worries though I suppose. Harry, my name is Tom Marvolo Riddle. Do you know what that means?"

"Doesn't ring a bell," Harry replied. Behind the ghost he saw Rose triumphantly lift what looked like a small book from next to Ginevra.

"Perhaps this should help," the ghost replied grinning wider. It hefted a wand – because of _course_ it had a wand – and wrote out the letters of its name in the air. The glowing letters stayed put for a bare instant before rearranging themselves. Harry read the words and nearly dropped his wand, along with his jaw, to the floor.

"You're _Voldemort_ …" Harry whispered.

"That I am." Confusion flashed across his features for a moment as he gazed to the side. "Or, that I never was, but will be again. Tenses are very difficult when dealing with situations like mine."

Harry's fear fled and he felt the anger rising inside him. This was the man responsible for sending them to the Dursleys. This was the man who had been trying to kill them for the simple crime of being born. This was the Wizard Boogeyman. This was the spitting image of evil!

And it looked like a sixteen year old.

"You're not a ghost at all," Harry stated softly. He lifted his wand and pointed it at the thing in front of him.

"Think of me like a…memory," Voldemort said with a knowing grin. "Now, not to cut this little conversation short, but shall we continue with the formalities?" He raised his voiced and shouted, ~ _Speak to me Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four!_ ~

"Wow, arrogant much?" Harry muttered. His amusement quickly turned to horror as he heard the slithering sound of scales on stone and a heavy weight dropped from near the statue.

~ _Master calls?_ ~

Voldemort smirked at Harry and shouted to the basilisk. ~ _Kill the boy! Then find and kill the sister!_ ~

Harry's legs finally unfroze as the basilisk hissed in reply. He twisted and lunged behind a pillar. The basilisk seemed to be coming down the side nearest him so he sent a quick enervate towards Lockhart and cancelled the levitation spell. The professor hit the ground with a thud and a cry of pain, obviously awake again. Harry didn't even feel a twinge of guilt; anyone who tried to attack Rose deserved at least that small bit of pain. "Flophart, meet the basilisk. Better run if you don't want to be eaten! I doubt it reacts any better to Obliviation attempts than we do!"

Lockhart had twisted halfway towards Harry before freezing up completely. The way his mouth fell open and his wand arm fell limp against his side was almost amusing. Then the slithering and hissing from the basilisk intensified and Harry's eyes opened wide. He immediately realized the stupidity of that response and jammed his eyes shut. He cast a few quick spells at himself to silence his footsteps and mask his scent. It wasn't perfect, but hopefully Lockhart would run like hell for the exit and distract the snake long enough for Harry to figure out a way to either kill it or outrun it or –

Lockhart's shrill scream abruptly derailed Harry's train of thought. Against his better judgment he risked a slitted glance towards the traitor professor and groaned. Lockhart hadn't run. He'd stayed in that _exact_ _same position_. The basilisk stayed in front of the professor for all of a second before rearing back and lunging forward. And just like that, Lockhart was gone.

"Shite. Shite! Shite-shite- _shite_!" Harry snarled. He plastered himself against the pillar as the basilisk twisted around to scan the area.

~ _Enemy of my master, you can try to hide, but you will fail._ " Harry felt sweat bead on his forehead as the snake taunted him. The sounds of the creature were coming closer. " _I can't smell you. I can't hear you. But…you forget, little morsel, I can sense your_ warmth _._ ~

Harry lunged to the side just as the basilisk surged around the pillar and snapped where Harry had just been standing a moment earlier. Harry fired blindly over his shoulder with every damaging hex or curse he could think of as he ran full out towards the next pillar. A roar of pain from the gigantic snake was evidence enough he'd struck _something_ on the creature.

Whatever he had hit, it didn't seem to do much to slow the beast down. Harry just barely managed to skid around the pillar as the snake lunged again. This time the left edge of his robes got caught in the fangs and he was whipped back around as the basilisk shook its head. Harry sprawled on the ground right next to the snake and gasped in pain as his hand twisted under him. His eyes sprung open and with horror he found himself staring into the very open eye of the basilisk. It took him nearly a full second to register that he was still alive and another one to realize that the eye was bleeding and leaking some kind of fluid.

He'd _actually_ managed to _randomly_ hit the bloody thing in the _eye_!

Harry's brief moment of triumph dissolved as the snake whipped its head around towards him and Harry jammed his eyes closed again and rolled out of the way as its jaws slammed into the ground beside him. He'd struck one eye, but not the other. The snake could probably still easily kill him. And that was completely disregarding the heat vision that snakes had.

"I could really use a bit of _backup_ right now!" Harry shouted. To his extreme surprise and confusion instead of the expected flurry of spells from Rose, the roof of the chamber seemed to explode in a flash of fiery light. A trill rose throughout the chamber that buoyed Harry's spirit and sent the basilisk's head jerking around towards the source hissing. Harry had thought he couldn't be surprised by much else at this school, but he swiftly found himself proven wrong again as Fawkes swooped down into the chamber. The phoenix flicked the _Sorting Hat_ towards Harry and proceeding to dive bomb the basilisk.

"This school gets more and more insane every bloody day," Harry muttered. He scowled at the Hat for a moment before jamming it onto his head. "Well?! Students – and teachers I guess since Lockhart's dead – are in danger here, a magical grenade launcher would be swell!"

Harry heard a distance chuckle in his mind and then felt a weight settle on his head. Whipping the headgear off, Harry reached into it and grasped whatever Hogwarts thought was appropriate to send him to battle with.

Pulling back, he gawked at the ornate gold-inlaid spear resting in his hands. No. It wasn't quite a spear. One end was pointed and stylized into spearhead while the other was more knotted and rounded. Runes were inlaid throughout and Harry could practically feel the power thrumming under his fingertips. "Wow…"

The Sorting Hat's brim cracked open and the piece of cloth grinned at him. "Take care, boy, that's Helga Hufflepuff's War Staff you're holding." Harry could only nod dumbly in reply.

Another pained scream ripped loose from the basilisk and Fawkes' victorious trill resounded throughout the chamber.

~ _Ignore the bird and kill the boy, you worthless creature! I will repair your eyes once you slaughter him!_ ~ Voldemort shouted.

Harry grinned and turned to the snake as its head whipped towards him. Both eyes were bleeding and useless now. "Thanks Fawkes! I got it from here." He slid his wand into his pocket and hefted the War Staff in both hands pointing the knobby end towards the basilisk. As the snake lunged Harry shot off a blasting curse straight into its face.

Well, he _tried_ to shoot off a blasting curse into its face. Instead the spell shot out of the blade end and sent a shower of debris raining over Harry and the basilisk. The surprise made the snake rear back and Harry used the second to twist his grip on the staff to reorient the _pointy_ end towards the giant serpent.

He was almost fast enough too. The pointy end had indeed made it fully around by the time the snake's jaws started to close on his arm. Harry panicked and couldn't think of a spell to use so he did the only thing he _could_ think of. He jumped forward.

The spear-end of the staff lodged itself deep into the roof of the basilisk's mouth and Harry managed to land firmly on its tongue as the fangs snapped closed just missing his feet. The force of his lunge and the closing mouth drove the staff deeper. Harry growled and finally managed to cast another blasting curse. The results were impressive.

The top half of the basilisk's head simply seemed to disappear in a shower of blood, bone, and meaty chunks while the lower half dropped back to the ground with Harry falling back between the teeth. He groaned and clambered to his feet as he turned to look at the corpse in front of him. "Never mess with a Hufflepuff," he wheezed.

"Gimme that staff!" Rose shouted skidding to a stop beside him. Harry blinked in confusion as his sister grabbed the weapon from his limp hands and drove it point first into a small leather-bound book she had dropped at her feet. Yet another pain filled scream filled the Chamber and black ichor spurted from the gash. "Seriously? You don't burn, you don't shred, you don't rip, you don't melt, you don't explode, you don't freeze, you don't dissolve, and all I had to do was bloody _stab_ _you_?!" Rose screamed at the, now ruined, book.

The screaming died away and the ichor stopped running. Rose jerked the staff free and stabbed it back into the book a few additional times for good measure before turning to Harry. She looked him over once before jumping forward and wrapping her arms around him. "I'm sorry, I was trying to destroy it, but I couldn't. Nothing was working and then I saw you blow up half the room and then you _jumped into that monster's mouth_!" she sobbed into his shoulder.

Harry leant into her embrace too tired to wrap his arms around her in turn. "Sorry, figured it was better than getting partially impaled by the deadliest fang in the world." He chuckled lightly as Rose squeezed him tighter. "Reckon we can grab some before we leave to exchange for a bit of pocket money back on the surface?"

"Grab some of the deadliest fangs in the world, fangs that almost _killed_ you?" Rose demanded her voice shaking. She pulled back from his shoulder and, almost before Harry had even registered she'd moved, his sister shifted forward onto the balls of her feet and thrust her face towards his. Harry managed to catch himself before Rose's maneuver threw them both to the floor, but it was a near thing. Especially as her lips brushed his own for the briefest of moments. The contact was so quick that Harry almost thought he'd imagined it, until his brain caught up with his eyes and he saw Rose's blush - her face red enough it almost matched her hair. The tear tracks down her cheeks did little to mar her features from his perspective and her eyes bored into his for a second before she glanced downwards. "Sorry," she murmured. "I thought I lost you, but I didn't and I couldn't do the one thing you had asked me to do and then I did it and now everything is just so much and…Is it weird that that wasn't weird? Was that weird? I'm sorry."

"Rosy, calm down," Harry replied smiling at her and brushing the last of the tears from the corner of her eye. "We're freaks remember? When have we ever _not_ been weird, Rosy?"

His sister started to chuckle at that comment. "We did just kill a basilisk and a ghost didn't we? If that's not a license to be weird I guess nothing is!" Her chuckle rose in pitch and volume and took on a simultaneously strangled, yet relieved tenor.

Rose's burbling, manic laughter set him off as well. Even the quiet sobbing of an awakening Ginevra and a suspiciously amused sounding trill from a circling phoenix weren't enough to break Harry and Rose away from the absurdity of the moment.

They had just killed a thousand year old basilisk and memory-ghost of Voldemort with only a single casualty; not that Lockhart was much of a loss. Not too bad for two twelve year olds.

* * *

Gabrielle stood in front of the mirror in her room on the Beauxbatons carriage pursing her lips in thought. Was it better to wear the periwinkle blouse or the white one? Both fit her frame quite well thanks to the modifications Fleur had made. Her much _larger_ frame; Gabrielle could barely keep her smile under control as she took in her no longer _small_ body. While she had been ecstatic that the Potter twins had decided to bring her along with them, Gabrielle had never been able to shake the disgust she felt with her childlike body afterwards. For too long she had been useless, helpless, a liability…she had been _small_. Growing up as a Veela had many benefits, but it extracted a large price in return.

Gabrielle understood intellectually the advantage of aging years in a single month; the wonderful simplicity of magic itself deciding when you were 'ready to face the world'. Yet, that was a cold comfort when all of her friends had dismissed her as just a child; when her very _family_ had ignored her pleas to help Harry Potter. Not to mention how they had completely brushed off her concerns over Rose Potter's emotional state after the trial. Gabrielle's mother, father, even her sister, had all seen her as a mere child whining about how the world was unfair. They had never even paused to consider that just because she had _looked_ like an eight year old didn't mean that she _thought_ like one.

After that final argument, Gabrielle had resolved to never inform them of her Bond. They would only have looked upon it as yet another foolish decision by an impulsive little girl instead of the burgeoning young woman she was. Gabrielle wasn't so haughty as to refute that she _had_ been foolish to bond to a boy who hadn't even known her name, but it hadn't made any difference in the long run. The Delacours hadn't deserved to know the full details after they had dismissed her so readily.

But that was in a past that no longer was. That reality was gone. Her breasts, while not yet as large as they had been, were swelling nicely. Her hips were rounded. She was only an inch shorter than Rose and still growing. Her wings could support her own weight. Her feathers weren't a simple down coating. Her baby-fat cheeks were filling out into the more pleasing oval inherent in her family. Gabrielle wasn't _small_ anymore. She wasn't a child. Fleur was listening to her and offering advice. Her mother was allowing her to remain at Hogwarts for the year. Her father was ensuring that her schooling was arranged appropriately and complaining about her starting to date boys.

All in all, Gabrielle couldn't be happier!

Well…she _could_ be…and she _would_ be. Once her Mates' enemies were dead and buried that was. Gabrielle briefly paused and frowned as her instincts surged forth and she had to grit her teeth to ensure that her feathers didn't manifest. Veelas were notably vindictive; it certainly didn't help that Rose was nearly as ruthless as Gabrielle herself. Harry apparently was too when it came to someone threatening either of the two women in his life.

Sighing, Gabrielle tossed both blouses back onto the bed and pulled on a pink top instead. It should serve to hide any evidence if this didn't work correctly. She wasn't anticipating any problems of course. Her control of the Allure had always been exceptional and even with the Change still ongoing, her hormones had settled enough that influencing someone as weak-willed as Draco Malfoy would be child's play.

Gabrielle flared her hip and laid one arm casually against her side with the other ever so slightly curled into a 'come hither' gesture. She let her eyes fall closed ever _just_ so and pursed her lips into the shadow of a smile. Holding the position for a brief moment, Gabrielle inspected her reflection before letting herself relax. Her smile spread into a true grin and she nodded to herself.

"Excellent. Now, time to destroy a ferret."

* * *

Slipping out of the carriage without being seen was far simpler than Gabrielle had expected. A Disillusion charm combined with a quick spell to knock over a nearby lamp which served to distract the student taking roll and let Gabrielle into the Hogwarts grounds without being noticed. As long as she proceeded slowly no one would ever even notice that she had left her rooms. It was an excellent alibi if by some miracle an investigation pointed towards her.

Gabrielle encountered very few students as she progressed through the halls of the ancient castle and soon enough she was standing in the dungeons. She smirked as she saw a group of First Years walking towards the wall she leant on chatting amongst themselves. It seemed she had timed this perfectly with their classes letting out.

"I still say that McGonagall _tries_ to take extra points from us," one of the boys muttered.

The girl beside him shrugged. "It would only be fair considering how much our Head of House gives us for no reason. If we're going to win the Cup I for one would like to _earn_ it. Dunderhead." She stated the last towards a nondescript section of corridor that shifted to form a door into the Slytherin Common Room.

Gabrielle slipped in behind the firsties without thought. As the door closed she let the students drift away while she cast her eyes about for her prey. An obnoxious peal of laughter quickly drew her gaze straight to the ferret and his roaches. Her lips briefly pulled back into a snarl before Gabrielle was able to clamp down on her disgust. She walked carefully into the Common Room, threading between the few personnel that were not in a seat. Coming up behind Draco's couch she took a few moments to listen into the conversation.

"Any progress with the French breeder yet?" the roach opposite Malfoy asked. "I know you've claimed dibs thanks to your father, but really, Draco, she's starting to look like a _woman_ now and not a child."

"Why does that even matter? She's a _Veela_. Who _cares_ what she looks like?" the large, slow, stupid roach next to Malfoy commented. His eyebrows drew together in a frown and he peered dumbly at the first roach.

"Unlike you, Crabbe, the Notts have some decency. The new Potter whore may just be a plaything and a source of income, but my family has no intention of touching her while she still looks like she needs a highchair to sit at the table."

"But she's a _Veela_."

Gabrielle's fingers curled into fists and she briefly wondered if the sound of her grinding teeth would carry to these cretins. Any lingering doubt she might have felt at her course of action vanished with the rage burning within her. Leaning down she released her hold on the Allure threading its filaments of power through the blond a few inches away. "I would love for you to brag about me," she whispered into Malfoy's ear, her voice barely loud enough to span the breadth between her lips and his head.

Malfoy sat up straighter and smiled. "I'm about to have her exactly where I want her."

"Under you?" the Crabbe roach asked turning to look at Malfoy.

Gabrielle pulled back her power ever so slightly and whispered again, "You just need to impress me a bit before I'll let you have me."

"I'm going to impress her and then she'll be mine," Malfoy parroted back. His face split into a grin and he pounded his chest. "I'm not entirely certain exactly what I'm going to do yet, but a single display of my strength as a wizard should be more than enough to have her bent over."

"Yeah?" the Nott roach asked rolling his eyes. "And just what sort of 'display of strength' were you thinking of, Draco? You can't even convince Greengrass that you're worth considering and you have a _contract_ with that ice bitch."

Gabrielle's lips pulled back from her teeth. It was good that they couldn't see her, her expression would likely have sent lions running. Even a poor predator always knew when something more dangerous was stalking them. "Fighting something in the Forbidden Forest is the only appropriate challenge. Something _deep_ in the Forest." She sent a trickle more strength into the Allure to back up the suggestion.

A shiver ran down Draco's body, a movement so subtle that it likely escaped the roaches. "Well it _was_ supposed to be a secret, but…I'm dueling a centaur in an hour or so. Once I bring back the beast's tail that toy is going to melt at my feet."

The Nott roach threw back his head and laughed. "Yeah? Just a thought, Draco, but you should probably try coming up with something more believable when you lie through your teeth like that. At least your father is good with his lies."

"You think it's a _lie_?" Malfoy snarled leaning forward with a deadly glare. Gabrielle flashed a touch more power into the Allure. He was right there. Just one more push…

"Don't centaurs use bows? They can't even use magic. Right?" The Crabbe roach rubbed his chin looking between the two other disgusting creatures.

"Exactly!" Malfoy shouted lurching to his feet. "That's why I'm going to win without even trying! You just watch. When I come back here with a centaur tail and a pet Veela, don't come crying to me for sloppy seconds!" He twisted on his heel and started marching towards the exit of the Common Room.

Gabrielle fell into step behind the fool. The two reached the castle doors in near record time. Malfoy even nearly ran over a pug-faced roach as he rushed outside. "Draco? Where are you going?" the pug asked. Gabrielle eyed the girl's longing eyes and half extended hand for a moment before shrugging and flaring her Allure towards Draco again.

"Getting my centaur tail to claim my future slave," Draco growled. "I'll talk to you later, Pansy."

"Centaur tail…" the pug repeated frowning. By the time the roach looked back up Draco had already started towards the Forest. He was moving quickly enough that the pug would have little chance of hitting him with a stunning spun without running after him immediately. She didn't. "Draco…I have to get Professor Snape!" Turning on her heel, the pug dashed back into the castle proper.

Gabrielle couldn't suppress the short giggle that escaped her lips as the pug ran for help. By the time any found him it would be far too late. Draco Malfoy was not Harry or Rose Potter. He would not survive the Forest. Turning back to her prey she watched the head of blond hair disappear into the trees and giggled again. She waited a few moments longer to ensure that he didn't turn around and come back out before she started skipping back to the carriage.

One enemy eliminated, one problem solved. It was time to focus on the next one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fanfic Rec: 'The Wizard and the Grimm' by EmeraldGuardian7. This is a RWBY crossover with Harry being pushed through the Veil at the end of the DOM battle and falling into Remnant at the start of the story. He ends up essentially taking Jaune's place and becomes heavily involved in current events with the effects beginning to snowball. It's Harry/Pyrrha and Ruby does play a bit of a role in the story as does Ozpin. It's very good and fun and is still in progress though it has been a bit since the last update.


	6. The Werewolf and the Bat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Again, thanks to my beta, Grey Raven 09. One note with this chapter. I am not trying to bash individuals here; their actions are natural outgrowths of an altered character dynamic. It's been brought to my attention that this fic is quite a bit darker than I had originally believed and with this chapter I'm forced to admit that is a fair assessment.

**Chapter 6: The Werewolf and the Bat**

The morning after Gabrielle's escapade, she and the twins were again waylaid by Daphne Greengrass on their way towards the Great Hall. Contrary to her normally stoic appearance the girl seemed to be nearly ecstatic with how she was bouncing on the balls of her feet and her grin was wide enough to split the heavens.

The privacy charms around the sealed classroom had barely settled before Gabrielle found herself engulfed in a bone-crushing hug. She reared back slightly and could only gape down at the blonde hair against her chest before Daphne pulled back and jumped up to sit on a nearby desk. Gabrielle sent a glare at Harry when he snorted in amusement. "I doubt any of you three know, but I was betrothed to Draco Malfoy," Daphne stated kicking her legs happily.

Whatever smart reply Gabrielle had been about to say died in her throat. _That_ was not expected…The Greengrasses had been killed early in the war from what she remembered. Daphne, oblivious to the Veela's confusion continued on. "My father sent an owl this morning though advising that the contract was declared null and void by Gringotts a few hours ago. We're trying to decide whether or not to tell poor Lord Lucius Malfoy that his heir is dead and gone or just wait till he deigns to ask us."

"Err…" Harry helpfully supplied. Gabrielle took her moment to return his rejoinder from a moment ago and snorted at him.

"Huh, so I guess the centaurs won't be giving Malfoy back then," Rose replied. There was an attempt at pity and sadness there, but Gabrielle had to avoid rolling her eyes as the girl rubbed her hands together. Rose was usually far better at keeping her emotions to herself. Though considering Daphne's reactions to Draco's untimely demise…Well no harm no foul.

"Oh so you didn't hear then? Must have not gotten to the Gryffindor Gossip Queens yet then," Daphne said her grin somehow managing to widen even more. "Pansy was with Snape when he found the centaurs around midnight. Apparently they laughed when he asked after Draco's whereabouts. They claimed that he waltzed into their grove demanding a duel with their finest warrior. The centaurs told him that 'if a colt like him wanted a duel with a warrior then he needed to prove himself worthy by bringing back the fang of an acromantula.' They never saw him again!"

"And you're…okay with this?" Harry asked carefully.

Daphne laughed. "Potter please, don't insult me. You know how much I despised the cretin and most of his ilk. I told you before, I want to be a player in the things that happen with this country. If Malfoy – or any of the Dark Lord's followers for that matter – manage to lock me into a marriage it's going to end up stipulating that I be their perfect little wife. All that would await me is babies, being particularly pleasing eye candy at public events, and drinking alone while my husband has a parade of mistresses and playthings. No thank you."

Harry raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "I feel like any husband that tried to trap you like that would end up either 'missing' or firmly cowed into submission in short order."

Daphne sighed and shrugged. "Contracts. Well worded, they are frustratingly difficult to find wiggle room in. Father signed mine in the last war in an effort to keep us safe and avoid joining the Death Eaters' side. He'd hoped that someone would end up killing Lucius before the fighting ended so that it would voided earlier. We were starting to consider other options until the letter came this morning. I _really_ can't thank you enough for this."

While the twins' movements had grown stiffer as Daphne continued speaking, now they went quite still and quiet. Gabrielle wasn't too worried herself. Daphne had been alluding to it throughout the conversation and now it made little difference that her 'subtext' was more 'text'. Obviously the girl didn't mean to use her assumptions against them and it wasn't like she had proof. Daphne waved her hands towards Gabrielle and continued with a wide grin, "I mean really, sending a Veela to convince him to off himself? Brilliant!"

Feathers sprouted under Gabrielle's robes though she was able to suppress her surprise enough to avoid her wings rising or her face morphing. Internally she berated herself for the momentary loss of control. Her Allure manipulation was essentially spot on now; she _should_ have full control of the basic transformation as well. She _hated_ the Change! One more week and these blasted hormones and magical outbursts should be finished. At least they had better be or she'd have to bench herself from any future missions until she was completely sure _everything_ was fully under her control. "I 'ave no idea what you are talking about, zere Miss Greengrass."

Daphne's eyebrows rose and she winked at Gabrielle. "Sure, sure. Just a word to the wise, Miss Delacour. Disillusionment charms are _not_ invisibility. They are good, don't get me wrong, but they aren't perfect."

Gabrielle scowled and cursed in French before meeting the blonde girl's eyes and carefully nodding. "Did anyone else take notice? Do I need to…take care of zis before it spreads?"

"Don't worry, I'm fairly certain that only Blaise and I saw you and he was convinced that it was just a leftover spell from one of the first years practicing before you walked in. You're _good_ , Gabrielle. I knew where to watch and I could still barely even find your outline!"

Harry frowned and leant against the teacher's desk behind him crossing his arms over his chest. "You really don't care about this do you?"

Daphne frowned. "I told you before, Harry, I choose who I support carefully and with a lot of thought. You three are strong, smart and resourceful. I was honestly a bit wary about throwing my weight behind a decidedly Light family because they don't always have the stomach to do what needs to be done. Now I know better. The Potters stopped being Light when James and Lily Potter died, didn't they? You two are at least firmly Grey. Draco was a pig who was quickly showing himself as cruel as his sire. No tears will be shed from my end for removing him from the board. If anything, this actually raises my opinions of you all. An enemy left alive is an enemy plotting against you."

"Zat is…an unusual motto. But not one zat I disagree wiz," Gabrielle allowed. She sighed and nodded sidling up next to Rose and laying a hand on her Mate's arm. "Just remember, Daphne, I protect my Mates and zey protect me. Do not try to use zis information against us or you will not like ze consequences."

"I know," Daphne nodded. She dropped from the desk and bowed to the other three. "I still intend to hold up our deal and I will make certain to quiet any potential rumors that spring up in Slytherin. I doubt there will be much. Like I said, you were very good with your pushing, only someone who has known Draco very well for a long time will have noticed anything even remotely off about his statements before walking out. He was an arrogant ponce and his boasting was in character. Damage control for this should be minimal moving forward. I'll keep you informed if anything worrying is brought up. I just wanted to express my thanks. Have a fantastic day, Potters, Delacour. I know _I_ will!"

She walked out of the classroom and Gabrielle turned to the twins with a wince. She had screwed up by being noticed. They were supposed to be taking revenge quietly and under the radar. It was completely within the rights of the others to yell at her for her indiscretion. That was why she instead squeaked in complete surprise as Rose hugged her and Harry patted her head. "You did well, Ella," Harry said quietly.

"Thanks, Ella," Rose murmured into her ear.

"Always, Rose, always," Gabrielle replied leaning into the soft embrace. A Veela always protected her Mates.

* * *

Later that morning, just after Transfiguration, Rose and Harry were kept after class by Professor McGonagall. Harry glanced at Rose with a frown, but his sister responded with a small shake of her head. He didn't really think that this was related to Draco either. however the timing was worrisome. That flutter in his stomach lasted only as long as it took the Deputy Headmistress to begin speaking.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Potter, you have visitors awaiting you in my office. I have been assured that this matter is of vital importance, and as such you are excused from History of Magic lessons. If the meeting continues past lunch then I will speak with Hagrid as well to ensure that you are not docked points from that class either," McGonagall stated. The frown on her features was so severe it was approaching a scowl.

"There's no need to look so excited about it, Professor," Rose sighed. Harry agreed though he kept his mouth shut. They had never been on the best of terms with the woman and if having his magic bound had taught him one thing it was to avoid speaking if the only thing he had to say was going to be construed as an insult.

True to his prediction, McGonagall's frown _did_ descend into a scowl. "There are better times to be requesting a clandestine meeting than during lessons! Considering we have a student missing as it is, this is highly irregular, unprofessional and foolhardy. You two have enough rumors and issues surrounding you. Going so far as to add skipping classes on top does not improve matters one ounce. I am of half a mind to prevent this meeting, but he is already here and Merlin knows that I would not encourage him to sneak onto the grounds a _second_ time!" McGonagall swiftly stepped past them with a swish of her robe and moved to the door of the classroom. "Now stop dilly-dallying and complete what business you have so I can get that madman out of my school."

The door had barely closed before the twins turned to each other with a snort of laughter and raised eyebrows. "Padfoot," they stated together. Harry chuckled and waved his sister ahead. "The only one who could ever get McGonagall to actually curse from what I remember."

"Moody managed it once," Rose said. "I wonder who the dog got to walk him." She pulled open the office door and stepped in with Harry following behind. Once he shut the door a wave of magic shimmered into view momentarily before fading back into the background.

Harry turned to face the rest of the room just fast enough to catch the large dog near the edge of the desk shifting forms back into the lanky figure of his godfather. "About time!" Sirius exclaimed. "Gotta love those automatic privacy wards eh? How you two doing? Long time no see!"

"Not that long, Sirius; it's only been about three weeks," Harry said warmly. His welcoming smile fell into a thin line as his eyes took in the other occupant. Remus Lupin sat behind McGonagall's desk, shabby robes hanging off of his frame and a scowl firmly fixed on his features.

"What's _he_ doing here?" Rose growled. If looks could kill Remus would probably be whimpering in agony right now. It only served the man right. Still, they had just killed Draco; a second murder in two days would be a bit much. Harry reached over and laid a hand softly on his sister's shoulder. Feeling the tense muscles coiling under his fingers, Harry took a deep breath and carefully pulled Rose to a chair putting enough pressure on his hand that she followed his lead. While he was able to guide her into sitting Harry stood protectively right next to her, leaving his hand on her shoulder.

"I am here to help. Whether you two want it or not," Remus replied. The cold tone was more at home with Snape's acerbic remarks than a supposed 'friend of their father'. Harry found he didn't really care for the older man's opinion. Brief flashes of their last official meeting with Remus rose in his mind and he ruthlessly forced them back down. He could relive that day when he slept. Right now he needed to stay focused on the moment – to ensure that things didn't fall apart.

Sirius looked between the others and reached up to rub his eyes, allowing himself to fall back into the nearby chair. "Remus, please, they're James' kids…"

"That does _not_ excuse their actions, Sirius!" Remus snarled. His steely gaze swept towards the fugitive. "You and Andi were not so quick to support the Blacks simply because you were related. Just because you feel you failed our friends by losing your temper does _not_ mean that you have the right to ignore the unnaturalness right in front of you!"

"It's happened in old families before, Remus. It's not common anymore, but it's not that big of a deal and it's none of our business."

Rose's lips rose revealing her teeth and only Harry's increased pressure on her shoulder kept her from rising from the chair. "So much for your 'promise' to keep things secret, huh? What, did you wait all of a day to run to tell your 'old friend'?"

"You go right to Sirius, yet completely ignore us for over a decade. No wonder our parents thought you were the traitor," Harry murmured, his voice carrying around the room. His own control was starting to slip too; a small grunt of pain whispered through Rose's lips as his hand tightened. Harry immediately let go of her shoulder and clenched his hand into a fist at his side instead.

"How dare you!" Remus shouted slamming his hands onto the desk and half rising from his seat.

"Everyone stop!" Sirius yelled drawing his wand and stepping between the others. "Bloody hell, I knew there were issues between you guys, but this is insane. If I had realized that it was this bad I would've had Tonks escort me in. Remus, sit down and shut up. Rose, cool it. Harry…Okay when the heck did Harry 'Lightning Temper' Potter become the calm one? Did I miss something over the summer?"

Remus barked a short laugh and sat back scowling anew. "Why don't you ask your cousin? They stayed with her for the majority of the summer. I find it hard to believe she remained oblivious to their _relationship_ throughout."

"You shut your mouth!" Rose spat. She grabbed for her wand only to find Sirius snatching it with a quick _accio_ spell along with Harry's and Remus'.

" _Merlin_ , everyone please, calm down! We are here to talk about the Dark Lord and his artifacts not my godchildren!" Sirius turned to glare at his friend. "If you can't control yourself, Moony then take a bloody walk."

Remus gave another harsh laugh and shook his head. "That's rich coming from you, Padfoot. How was Azkaban? A pleasant afternoon stay?"

"Get out," Harry stated. His fingernails were digging into the skin of his palm and his eyes were squeezed shut as he visibly shook. It took everything he had to hold back the urge to lash out and only the memory of what had happened on that disastrous hunting trip in the Outback with his mates held him back. Something shattered on the shelf behind him – he really couldn't find it in him to care.

"Harry." He felt more than saw Rose shift from her seat and lay her hands over his own. She gently guided him down into the seat she'd just left. Rose squeezed his wrists and leaned forward to lightly feather her lips over his scar. "Harry, please don't destroy McGonagall's office. She already doesn't like us; we don't need to make it worse."

Harry heard the door slam shut as he took several deep breaths and concentrated on the feeling of Rose's hands. The memories from the end of their Third Year swam to the surface and he was helpless against the tide. McGonagall's office washed away and he fell into the old Defense classroom.

* * *

"Harry, Rose, please, take a seat," Remus said softly. He gestured to the chairs in front of his desk as he sat down in his own. "I feel we need to discuss something of great import before the trains depart in the morning."

Harry nodded. It was about time the man apologized for attacking Rose. It had been nearly a week since that night and there had been no interaction at all with the DADA professor. For someone who had supposedly been so close with their parents a simple 'Sorry I tried to eat your sister when I changed. Promise it won't happen again,' seemed to be rather hard for him to say.

"I am sure you are both aware that my senses are heightened in my…in my _other_ form," Remus continued.

"Odd way to begin an apology," Harry replied glaring at the man. Rose's hand squeezed his own and he saw her hunch down from the corner of his eye. He took a deep breath and resolved to let Remus finish. Rose was already nervous enough; Harry didn't need to make it worse for her by losing his temper.

Remus however didn't even seem to hear Harry's comment as he charged forward. "What many don't know is that my senses are slightly increased during the days before and after a full moon as well. Particularly the sense of smell. I had noticed it in the months previous, but I thought nothing of it. You two are always close after all, it seemed natural that your scents mingled somewhat."

Harry's eyes narrowed. This was sounding less and less like an apology and more and more like an inquisition. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"Harry, Rose," Remus said, his head lifting abruptly to stare first at Harry then at Rose. Harry felt her squeeze his hand tighter and he scowled deeper in response. "I don't remember everything about what happens when I transform, but I remember enough sometimes to pick out specific scents and locations of said scents. I realize what you two have been doing and it simply _must_ stop. Right now! It is unnatural and unhealthy. I cannot in good conscious leave this be."

Harry's fist clenched hard enough to leave his fingers numb. " _That's_ why you wanted to talk? To _yell_ at us? We haven't even _done_ anything!"

"Do not lie to me young man! Being a werewolf is an awful existence and a nightmare to force onto someone, but there are some side benefits. I am fully aware that you both are involved! Do not deny it!"

"All we've done is kiss," Rose whispered. "Maybe explore a bit, but nothing big. Nothing… _bad_ …We've just – "

"Quiet, Rose," Harry said cutting her off. He stood and swiftly placed himself between his sister and his professor. "We don't need to explain ourselves to him."

Remus stood frowning. "You most certainly do, Harry. I don't care what things were like growing up. You are members of proper society now and you have – "

"Of course you don't care about how we grew up. That much is _painfully_ obvious," Harry stated, his voice cold enough to lower the temperature in the room. "A single visit and we could've been rescued from those monsters. _One single visit_ from our _Honorary Uncle_! But no, you stayed locked away in your own perfect little house and completely forgot we existed! At least Sirius had the excuse of being locked away. What was yours _Uncle Remus_?"

Remus didn't even try to look contrite. He simply scowled and said, "Professor Dumbledore had repeatedly assured me that – "

"Dumbledore, Dumbledore, Dumbledore," Harry scoffed. "Dumbledore said we were fine. Dumbledore said that it was safe for you to teach. Dumbledore said that Sirius was guilty. Dumbledore said that _Snape_ could be _trusted_!" Harry grabbed his wand though Rose's hands shot around and kept his sparking piece of wood pointed at the ground as she strained to hold him back. "Well I have some news for you, Uncle Remus. We were _not_ fine! It was _not_ safe for you to teach here! Sirius was _not_ guilty. And Snape just tried to fucking _murder us_!"

"Now see here," Remus shouted. His own hand curled around his wand as well though it stayed planted firmly on the tabletop. "Dumbledore may have been incorrect about several things, but he is not a god! He is a man and a man can be wrong. We are not speaking about Dumbledore. We are speaking about the improper relationship that you and Rose have entered into! This must stop!"

"Shut up old man!" Harry yelled. He felt Rose's heels dig into the carpet just behind his feet as she strained to hold his quaking arm back. "Maybe if you had been there you could say that. Maybe if you had bothered to ever care about us, we'd listen to you. Maybe if you'd ever told us you even knew our parents we'd put some stock in your opinion! You are nothing to us and we don't care what the bloody hell you think or what you feel is 'unnatural'. We've been freaks since before we could _walk_! You have no right to dictate anything about us or our lives!"

"Harry, please!" Rose whimpered behind him. She gave up digging into the carpet and instead wrapped both arms around his middle trapping his hand against the side of his leg and trying to muscle him around towards the door. "He's a teacher and he can hurt you."

"Get off me, Rose!"

"You are just children!" Remus exclaimed. He turned around and crossed his arms breathing heavily and staring at the wall. "You do not understand and you cannot understand. You will cease this relationship or I will be forced to tell the Headmaster exactly what is going on here."

Rose froze and Harry made a noise that Sirius' dog form would envy. "You will _not_."

Remus remained with his back towards them as he replied softly, "I will."

"No, Remus Lupin. You won't," Harry replied just as quiet. "You tried to kill Rose a few nights ago. Yes, you were transformed, but you still tried to kill her. You gave me a new set of scars. Neither of which you have apologized for. You _owe_ us, Professor. We've been doing some studying. You _owe_ us. You _will not_ tell Dumbledore what you _think_ you know about us and our relationship." Harry felt the weight of his declaration settle over his shoulders as the magic rushed through him and speared out into Remus. He saw the man stiffen for a moment before he turned back to them with a scowl that rivaled Snape's.

"You should have worded that better, Harry," Remus said. He shook his head and sat back down, the twitching eye the only visible evidence to the fury. "You obviously have not read enough. Simple vague declarations like that only last until the next solstice. Your calling in of the Life Debt will only prevent me from speaking with Dumbledore until the end of December."

Harry mentally cursed himself, but refused to let it show. "That's more than enough. After all, I figure now we'll see just how much you actually cared about your supposed 'friends'. Feel like leaving us alone now, _Uncle_ Remus?"

"Such a child," Remus said, his scowl returning. "Fine. I will promise not to tell anyone what I have discovered. You in return must distance yourselves from – "

"That's not the way it works, Professor," Rose murmured. Her head peaked around the side of Harry's back and she turned her watery gaze on him. "You live your life and we live ours. Just leave us alone. It's the only thing that adults are good for. The only ones who've ever even pretended to care are Sirius and Tonks. Just leave us alone and we won't tell anyone how close it was. Please, just…just leave us alone."

For a moment Harry thought he saw a grimace cross Remus' face, but an instant later it was gone. "Go. Just…go. For what it is worth, I am sorry. I doubt that you will ever believe me at this point, but I am sorry for how things have turned out."

"Sorry doesn't fix things, Professor Lupin. Sorry is a pretty word, but it never fixes anything." Rose tugged Harry back out the door, his eyes never leaving the man until the door swung shut.

* * *

When Harry swam up from the depths of his mind he had no idea how much time had passed. Taking a deep, shuddering breath he registered the warmth of Rose's hands still on his wrists as well and the soft murmur of her voice near his ear. He breathed again, steadier this time, and opened his eyes. The office swam in front of him yet stabilized a moment later. Harry twisted his hands over and squeezed his sister's palms. "I'm okay, Rose. Just…bad memories."

"I wish that counter-spell hadn't scrambled you so much," she murmured.

"I can remember you," he replied just as soft. "That's more than worth some disjointedness. How long?"

"Just a minute or two," Rose said. She pulled back, smiled at him and turned to Sirius, the snarl issuing forth a marked contrast the affection she'd just shown to Harry. "Why did you bring _Lupin_?"

Sirius sighed and wiped a hand down his face. "Because I thought that everyone was blowing the fight out of proportions. You guys are my godkids. You're the children of James and Lily. I didn't think that Moony would…forget himself – not like that. I'm sorry. I didn't want to believe that my adoptive family was shattered so much because I made a mistake a decade ago."

Rose's expression shifted into a deep frown as the tension around her eyes softened. She hesitated before quietly replying, "It's not your fault, Padfoot. Don't try to take the blame for the actions of others. Besides, he's right in a way. Harry and I _aren't_ normal and we aren't healthy."

"Maybe not," Sirius agreed meeting her gaze. "But that doesn't make you wrong and it doesn't give him to right to react as he did. I keep forgetting you two didn't grow up around magic and purebloods…Look, I'll talk with Remus. There's nothing illegal about your both being together, but that when word gets out it's going to complicate things. He shouldn't have told me and I'll make sure he doesn't tell anyone else." Sirius paused and frowned, looking between both of them. " _Does_ Tonks know? And how the bloody hell did you get Dumbledore to agree to let you bunk her place over the summer?"

Harry nodded and gently pulled Rose into the seat next to him. "We told Dora about us during the last time we saw you guys in Hogsmeade. We didn't bother asking Dumbledore for permission to stay at her place. We started off at the Dursleys like usual. It…didn't work out." A flash of Piers and Dudley standing over a crying Rose whipped through his head and Harry clenched his fists as he pushed the memory down. He knew the basics of that night and he didn't need to relive it again. Breaking his cousin's nose had been fun and all, but he needed to stay in the present. "Dora had offered to let us stay at her place again after we did the same before Third Year. You should remember that one. Didn't you 'escort' us to the Knight Bus?"

Sirius chuckled. "Well that's one way of putting it, Pup. Alright, as fun and not awkward as this is, I should really tell you why I'm here to begin with."

"Yes, please," Rose said.

"Tonks and I found the Locket at Grimmauld with Kreacher's help. I almost feel bad for the thing now; he basically worships my little brother. All this time I thought that Regulus got himself killed by supporting the wrong man but it was really because he chose the right side in the end…" Sirius trailed off and shook his head visibly refocusing in on the twins. "Anyway, it took some doing, but we managed to get a small supply of basilisk venom and destroyed the thing. Remus helped, that's why he was here. We didn't tell him everything just that he was helping to destroy an artifact of Voldemort's."

"So Dumbledore knows we're hunting Horcruxes then too. Perfect," Rose muttered her lips twisting into a scowl.

Sirius frowned. "Why do you say that? Tonks and I were careful, guys, there's no reason for him to inform Dumbledore of anything. Even if he did would that be so bad?"

"He's going to want to know how we got our information, so yeah, it would be bad," Harry replied squeezing the bridge of his nose. One more problem to add to their plate. "We can worry about it later. Is that how you got the basilisk venom? Lupin's contacts in the darker side of the wizarding world?"

"Pretty much," Sirius said. "We didn't get much, just a very small amount. Dora said something about being able to harvest a basilisk so I didn't want to bankrupt anyone when we could just grab some extra venom in a few weeks."

Rose nodded. "Yes, we've already started that. Gabrielle will be sending you and Tonks several packages to sell off with the materials. Keep some of the venom and at least one eye."

"An eye?" Sirius sat up straighter and frowned. "Why do you need an eye?"

"Ritual to fix my own," Harry said shrugging. "Gabrielle…um, found it a little while ago. It's not dangerous, but it needs to be done on my birthday."

Sirius' frown deepened. "I haven't heard of a ritual like that. Do you know where she found it? I like to check it over."

"Some old French book," Rose swiftly cut in. "She said something about it being _magie familiale_ which I'm pretty sure means 'family magic'. She's assured us that it's been tested previously and is perfectly safe if a bit painful."

Harry resisted the urge to snort. It seemed that most of the spells, rituals and techniques that Gabrielle had invented were painful to some degree or another. A bit of pain in exchange for getting rid of his glasses was a perfectly good bargain though as far as he was concerned.

"Right," Sirius said. "Okay well, I'd still prefer to review it before we do it in a few months. Anyway, back to the Horcruxes. We found the shack owned by the Gaunts. It is ridiculously well protected so it's taking a bit of time to get through the wards without tripping anything though we should be able to take care of the Ring in another few weeks though. Fair warning kids, we might need to bring in someone like Bill Weasley for the wards inside the house. Neither Tonks nor I were trained as Curse Breakers and it's definitely a case where it's better to be safe than sorry."

Harry looked to Rose with a raised eyebrow. She thought for a moment before nodding and replying, "That's fine. Bill is good man and won't betray our confidences as long as he knows we're working against the Dark."

"I feel like I should ask how you know about Bill, but I'm not going to open that can." Sirius smiled at the two and stood stretching. "Now do you want to chat for a bit before I head out or would you prefer to actually make it to Care of Magical Creatures? I hear that Hagrid has unicorns today!"

"You know…I've actually been looking forward to seeing a unicorn," Rose replied with a grin.

* * *

"Having fun yet?" Harry murmured to his sister a half hour later as she sat on the fence surrounding the paddock with the unicorn. He found her responding scowl far more amusing than he probably should have.

"Stupid glorified pony," she muttered glaring at the unicorn. "Thought that was supposed to be a bloody _myth_. What conceited creature avoids people who've had sex? Do they avoid each after _they_ have sex too? How do they have little conceited bastard fowls? Are they one shot wonders? Every stupid bloody unicorn gets to have a single go at it and that's it for life?"

Harry did actually chuckle at that. He quickly stifled it as Rose turned her glare on him. "You know," he ventured, "maybe the male unicorns are just so horribly bad at sex that all the female ones end up hating even the idea of it after their first time." He laughed harder as Rose swatted the back of his head.

"Stupid unicorns." She sighed and twisted her head to look at Hagrid. The large man was standing calmly next to the unicorn idly stroking the creature's back as he encouraged Parvati, Pansy and Susan on the best locations to run a brush through the mane. The combined lesson was necessary apparently since the beasts were so hard to coax into the paddock for more than a single class. "I suppose I should feel bad that Hagrid hasn't ever gotten laid, but honestly just the idea of him sleeping with someone scares the crap out of me."

"Why?" Harry asked frowning up at Rose. "He's as a gentle as a puppy."

"He's also over eight-and-a-half feet tall. Can you imagine how big his equipment is and how much that would _hurt_?" Rose gave a theatrical shudder while Harry shut his eyes and vehemently shook his head.

"Now there's a mental image I did not need. Thanks for that, Rose. Bring on the Obliviation again." At Harry's comment all levity dropped from Rose's expression. She hopped down from the fence and walked in front of him placing herself square in his line of sight. Harry suppressed a grimace as he saw her eyes watering over and her fists clenched. "Merlin, Rose, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"Don't _ever_ joke about that! Please! Don't-I can't-I can't lose you like that again, Harry…I just…" Her voice quavered and it took everything he had not to reach out and hug her. He couldn't though, not here in front of everyone.

"Rose, I'm sorry. I know it was a stupid joke. I'm not going anywhere."

"Harry! Rose! Why don' yeh two come on over an' take yer turn!" The booming baritone of their teacher rang out. Rose's eyes widened and she stared at Harry breathing heavily.

Harry forced a smile onto his face and shook his head at Hagrid. "Nah, we're good, Hagrid. We prefer our sorta horses with wings." As much as he'd tried to make the comment flippant and funny it apparently wasn't enough. Pansy and Ernie both turned to him with narrowing eyes while Hagrid looked about to reply again. Dammit, they did not need this!

"I can't believe you find _unicorns_ boring, Potter!" Daphne yelled out with a barely hidden laugh. The students' attentions turned to her almost immediately to which her semi-mocking grin only grew wider. "Though I suppose after riding a hippogriff around the grounds anything else is positively yawn inducing. We'll have to bring in thestrals to keep your interest!"

Harry grinned at the Slytherin's comments. The way the entire class immediately started laughing and rolling their eyes before going back to what they had been doing moments before was amazing. Daphne had managed to turn a potentially very awkward situation into a mild joke with just a small amount of misdirection and humor. Perhaps this alliance they had with the girl would be worthwhile after all.

"Gonna have to thank her later," Rose whispered to him as they leaned back against the fence again.

"Yup." The rest of the period wound down in a fairly uneventful fashion. Harry caught Ron eyeing them a few times though the Weasley son was only marginally less obvious about it than a parent playing peek-a-boo. As far as he knew Ron was harmless, but he honestly didn't remember much about the red-head.

As Hagrid led the unicorn away, Harry picked up his school bag and began walking back to his next class next to Rose. They kept their distance from the main group like usual, staying just close enough to not be considered separated from the rest. It was an odd balancing act, but it was familiar. What was not familiar was the pretty Slytherin girl carefully slipping in next to them.

"You shouldn't have stuck together during this lesson," Daphne murmured out the side of her mouth. Her voice was just loud enough for both Harry and Rose to hear clearly. "I think I deflected well enough…though I am not sure if Weasley bought it. If he even understood what I meant."

"Who's he gonna tell? Nobody would believe him except Dean and Seamus and everyone knows they embellish everything," Rose replied just as softly. "We're fine."

Daphne shrugged and caught Harry with a piercing gaze for an instant before turning back to stare straight ahead. "For the moment, yes, but we need more cover for you. I think we should start spreading the rumor that Delacour has ensnared one or both of you. Better to get ahead of the game on this now before another close call ruins the potential opportunity."

Harry frowned and gestured for Rose to wait before replying. It was several steps later that he responded to Daphne. "Do it. You're right. More and more of our secrets are spreading. Do what you can, Daphne. Consider the probationary period over. Welcome to the Potter Clique. One day we'll get badges."

Daphne snorted at that and Harry didn't need to be looking at her to know she was rolling her eyes. "I find myself increasingly glad to have thrown my lot in with your side. Consider the rumors started. Please make sure Gabrielle doesn't roast me the next time she sees me. Pleasant evening." With her piece said, the Ice Queen of Slytherin melted back into the group and Harry watched as she seemed to just appear out of thin air next to Tracey, laughing at something the brunette had said.

He turned to Rose and lifted his shoulder in a half shrug at his sister's expression. "What?"

"Nothing," she replied. She smiled at him and playfully punched his shoulder. "It's just nice to have you taking charge again. I missed this." He chuckled and nodded. Putting the disappointment of the unicorns behind them, the twins walked back into the depths of Hogwarts.

"You know," Rose said glancing over her shoulder. "Maybe one day – when we're all settled – I might snag a few unicorns and hand-raise them. Just to prove that wild unicorns are all prudes."

"And there's the crazy witch I know and love," Harry laughed rolling his eyes. Well, if she was willing to rip the universe a new arse why couldn't she tear down unicorn 'prejudice' as well?

* * *

Harry kicked his trainers off and fell back against the bed laying his hand over his eyes with a soft groan. He had barely lifted his legs up onto the bed before the curtains ruffled momentarily and the familiar tingling of descending privacy and silencing wards passed over him. Shifting to his left slightly, Harry laid his free arm across the sheets. Rose let the Invisibility Cloak gather at the foot of the bed and her comforting weight settled down next to him, her head resting on his arm and her chest pressed up against his side. Pulling her close, Harry let out a contented sigh and finally removed his hand from his head long enough to lightly kiss her lips.

"Head still hurts?" she asked running a gentle touch across his cheek.

Harry leaned into her caress as he shrugged. "Hasn't stopped since the thing with Lupin earlier. Ella slipped me some headache potion at dinner, but it didn't do anything."

"You've been fighting off the memories all day, Harry. You need to sleep and just let them come," she replied. She squeezed closer to him, wrapping her arms tightly around his torso. "That year was awful, but we've lived through worse. I'll be here right here when you wake up and Ella is just a few hundred yards – and about 10 floors – away."

Harry chuckled and playfully patted Rose's rump. "Yeah, cause jumping on a Firebolt to visit our Veela girlfriend's carriage in the middle of the night is a great plan that is totally not going to draw some eyes."

"Well, we have a magical map, an invisibility cloak and skill with Disillusionment charms. We could do it."

"Or we can just cuddle up with her in the Room of Requirement tomorrow and I can try to sleep right now," he deadpanned. Rose's answering laugh gave away her agreement on the issue. "Goodnight, Rose."

"Goodnight, Harry. I'm here when you need me, brother."

"You always are…" he mumbled already feeling Hogwarts falling away around him.

* * *

Harry scowled at the three men clustered across the room from him and Rose: Remus Lupin, contender for the Worst Honorary Uncle Ever award; Sirius Black, contender for the Most Impulsively Stupid/Unlucky Godfather award; and Peter Pettigrew contender for the Most Evil Traitor award. His teeth ground together and his grip tightened on his sparking wand. "You mean to tell me that this bloody wanker is responsible for Voldemort finding our parents? He's the man to blame for being pawned off to the Dursleys like a piece of old luggage?" Harry's voice was cold and dead. He hand shook as he tried to keep from launching every vicious and painful spell he knew at the chained man huddled on the floor in front of him.

Rose wasn't doing much better beside him. Her hand on his arm was squeezed so tight that he could barely feel anything below the elbow and her tone had dropped into the register that was generally only reserved for Piers Polkiss. "We can't kill him."

"Yes we can," three voices seemed to ring out near simultaneously. Harry may not be particularly fond of Remus or Sirius, but they all seemed to agree on that point at least.

"Not if we want Sirius cleared," Rose replied. She was quiet, though her statement carried well enough that the males all scowled deeper.

Remus was the first to lower his wand to the floor. "She's right. Padfoot, our revenge is going to have to wait until after we unmask the rat. Once he shows up alive your name can be cleared."

"And we have a new home," Rose murmured. Harry was fairly sure that he was the only one close enough to hear her this time.

"I spent 12 years in hell for killing Wormtail, Moony. I would rather earn that sentence right now than wait for Fudge and his brand of coc-"

"Yes, revenge is quite a decent motivator isn't it?" an oily voice rang out from directly behind Harry. He tried to twist around but found his limbs completely frozen with only his eyes free to rotate. He didn't need to see the man to recognize the hateful Potions Master. How Snape had managed to find the small group was a question better worth pursuing at a different time. "Not so fast, Black. You wouldn't want your precious goddaughter to get hurt now would you?"

Harry felt the storm inside him increase and begin to beat against the cage that bound it. Snape had Rose. Snape was _threatening_ Rose.

Harry would show Severus Snape just what happened to _anyone_ who threatened his sister.

"Let her go, Snivellus!" Sirius shouted the growl emerging from the haggard man's throat more canine than human.

Remus' eyes narrowed as he focused over Harry's shoulder though his wand remained pointed in the general direction of Pettigrew. "Severus, these theatrics don't suit you. We all know that Rose looks far too much like Lily for you to hurt her. You obviously have not heard everything that has transpired. Sirius is innocent and – "

"Yes, I know. I heard nearly everything, Lupin," Snape said. The flippant comment was a hair's breadth away from laughter and it just made Harry's magic slam harder against whatever spell was holding him like a statue.

"Professor, if you heard us, then you know that Pettigrew – "

"Betrayed the Potters," Snape finished cutting Rose off. " _Of course_ Pettigrew was the one to betray them you _stupid_ girl. Do you think I would not know the very spy in their own camp?! I served at the Dark Lord's heel! I was one of his most trusted while _Pettigrew_ was a worm crawling for scraps." Snape turned to face Pettigrew with a sneer before continuing. "You handed him James Potter on a silver platter and you still screwed it up!"

Snape had been a Death Eater. That shouldn't have surprised Harry, yet the implications hit him like a lorry. If Snape had been a Death Eater during the war…If he had known that Pettigrew was a traitor since that night…

Dumbledore supported him. Whether Dumbledore knew or not no longer mattered. Both were enemies and both were threats.

"You knew, Severus? You _knew_? All this time…" Remus wavered on his feet for several seconds before his wand snapped from Pettigrew and leveled at the Potions professor. "You left Sirius in there to rot?! You let me think my best friend was a murderer?!"

"Technically your best friend _is_ a murderer – both of them," Snape replied chuckling. There was no humor in the laugh. "Pettigrew killed well over twenty people, and Black tried to kill me. So quick to forget, Lupin? It was you yourself that nearly ate me after all."

Sirius growled again and took a step forward before freezing with his jaws clenched shut and his lips raised in a snarl. "Considered what happened afterwards I only wish I had done it myself."

"Yes, perhaps you should have. It would have saved us both so much trouble," Snape commented softly. "It would have saved Lily, one way or another…" A sharp indrawn breath resounded before the condescension was back in Snape's voice. "I do believe it is time for a bit of karmic resolution to our personal conflict. I will be taking you back to the castle, Black. You will face the Kiss and only afterwards will Pettigrew be 'tragically' found alive. I would prefer your name continue into infamy, however I want to see Pettigrew destroyed just as much for his part in her death."

"Albus claims that you have seen the error of your ways, yet you are just like you were back in school, Severus. You are still only thinking of yourself!" Remus shouted.

"Professor Snape, you can't, he's innocent! He doesn't deserve this!" Rose yelled.

Harry shifted from beating at the curse to forcing magic into his fingers and his wand. Maybe he could overload the paralysis spell and get to his sister. Or at least he could explode the center of the room. That would likely throw things into chaos enough for the situation to change.

"Black has never been _innocent_! He was just better at hiding behind the 'righteous banner' than I was! He deserves all this and more."

Sirius laughed and grinned at Snape with far less sanity in that expression than the man had displayed mere minutes ago. "Sure, you can kill me and Wormtail via proxy. Would probably even be fairly easy. You're just forgetting one thing, Snivellus: you can't just kill Harry, Rose and Remus by Dementors too. Shame that."

"No?" Snape asked. The quiet chuckle sent a chill down Harry's back. He redoubled his efforts and was rewarded by a finger twitching. It wasn't remotely enough. "Lupin, did you perhaps forget something this evening? A certain…potion perhaps?"

The color drained from the Defense professor's face. Harry just gritted his teeth and forced a second finger to curl. "Severus…please. Please, don't do this…"

"I was able to survive an encounter with you, Lupin. Perhaps we should see how well Potter's offspring does on similar terms?"

"I'll kill you if you touch them, you fucking bastard," Sirius stated. Any trace of emotion other than anger had fled him, standing stock still with his arms frozen against his sides.

"Someone isn't listening," Snape sung, his face suddenly contorting into a sneer, "10 points from Gryffindor. If Lupin can control his wolf like his compatriots then Harry will be in no danger. Alternatively, if Potter has paid any attention in class he'll fight the beast off and merely come away with a touch of lycanthropy for his effort."

"I can fight too, you bastard!" Rose bit out.

Harry's lip curled into a snarl and he was finally able to clench his fist, though his wand still wasn't pointed in the right direction to be useful.

"You'll be quiet girl, if you know what is good for you. You are coming with me, Black and Pettigrew. A bit of a Confundus and it'll be my word against a werewolf and a stupid boy known to have violent and impulsive tendencies. If you have anything to say to your brother, you might want to say it now."

Harry didn't wait to see if Rose could stall any longer. With a mighty roar he thrust all of his magic into his wand and screamed, " _Bombarda_!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fanfic Rec: 'Harry Potter: The Forgotten Brother' by sprinter1988. This is a Harry/Hermione/Luna fic with an odd take on the WBWL cliché. In this Harry's previously been 'forgotten' in place of his twin Arnold. With Arnold just recently being killed by Voldemort about twenty years after Hogwarts, a manipulative Dumbledore and James Potter have to try and course correct and find Harry to finish the prophecy. Lily while alive and well is running a gambit that is FAR more impressive than anything Dumbledore has cooked up and it is awesome to watch. In this complete fic the important thing to remember is that things are not as they seem.


	7. The Path Once Walked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Again, thanks to my beta, Grey Raven 09. This chapter is a bit different from previous ones and should give some insight into more of the events in the twins' past. There is a mature scene in this segment as well; I'm not blocking it off as I did in my other story. It's somewhat integral to the character growth and this story is already rated M.

**Chapter 7: The Path Once Walked**

Harry whimpered in his sleep arms curling tighter around Rose. Rose grimaced and blinked away tears. "I'm here, Harry. I'm right here," she murmured kissing his forehead and squeezing him back. None of the other nightmare-memories had him reacting as strongly as this. Whatever he was reliving it must have been bad.

"I know this hurts, Harry, and I wish we had had another way of bringing you back, but we didn't. Whatever you're in, just remember, we made it out then and we'll make it out now. I'll be right here when you wake up. Just like always."

Rose molded herself to her brother making sure to bury his head in her chest. Harry may be asleep, but she would make damn sure he knew she was there for him all the same.

* * *

"Rose! Rose!" Harry shoved a piece of wood to the side and coughed ancient dust out of his lungs. The room looked like a bomb had gone off though, since there wasn't a murderous professor holding him or Rose at wandpoint, he considered this a mild improvement.

It would've been a _huge_ improvement if Rose wasn't trapped under part of the caved in ceiling. "Rose!" He chucked another large section of the Shrieking Shack to the side and was rewarded by a quiet groan. "Rosy!"

"Ow…" The debris parted and Rose's back peaked out of the pile. Harry quickly fell to one knee and helped pull her free. "Thanks for blowing up the entire room, Harry. Try aiming next time maybe? Ow."

"Sorry, I was a bit more preoccupied with the wand held to your neck," Harry huffed arching an eyebrow.

"Sure, blame Snape," Rose replied grinning. Her smile dropped quickly though as she stood and looked around the room. Most of the walls were still intact though there was a large piece of the ceiling blocking the door, as well as a gaping hole that apparently extended through the second floor and all the way through the roof of the house letting in a decent amount of light from the full moon. "Where is the bastard anyway?"

Harry shrugged. "No idea. He was gone when I woke up and so were Sirius and Pettigrew. I'm really hoping that both just ran away, but I have no idea. I was worried about you, Rose," Harry finished softly. His gaze dropped to the floor and his voice hitched on the last few words. His shoulders sagged and he almost didn't notice as Rose hugged him.

"I'm okay, Harry. Now come on, let's get Lupin and get back up to the castle. Maybe we can find Sprout or Flitwick and try to convince them about what happened here before Snape gets to tell his own version of the – " Rose cut off abruptly as a growl echoed throughout the room. Both twins turned to look at the corner where Harry had left Lupin. The growl issued forth again and Rose's eyes widened – a shaft of pale light was flooding the room from the hole in the building's ceiling. "Moonlight…Oh bloody hell!"

A pair of yellow eyes glinted from the corner and slowly shifted upwards as the werewolf stood. It took a step forward, Lupin's full transformed form becoming illuminated. The fur was mangy and knotted the limbs a strange mix of human and wolf. It stood on two legs though the way the knees bent and the length of its arms plus the curve of its back implied that it could just as easily run around on all four limbs. Its muzzle was extended like a wolf and its raised jowls exposed the sharp teeth. Its gaze swept back and forth between Harry and Rose seeming settling on Rose as it bent forward and growled again.

"Rose, don't move a muscle," Harry whispered. "I don't have my wand…I lost it when I was knocked out." His eyes rapidly swept the nearby area desperately searching for the stick of holly. Sweat beaded on his brow and his stomach flipped.

"I think mine is buried under the rubble," Rose said. The tremble in her voice matched the rising panic Harry felt.

For one glorious moment the werewolf seemed to pause and reconsider its course. That moment popped like a bubble as it snarled and pushed off with its strong legs. Covering half the room in a single bound the werewolf jumped as soon as it touched ground and collided with Rose. An unconcerned swipe of its paw knocked Harry into the nearby wall, his head smashing hard enough to leave his vision wavering. Rose was knocked to the ground winding up underneath the werewolf as it snarled above her, its legs resting on her own, one paw holding her shoulder down and the other only a few inches from her head.

"Harry!" Rose screamed her left arm beating ineffectually against the werewolf's chest. Drool dripped down from its jaws landing in her hair as it stared down at her, its jowls lifting.

Harry snarled and grabbed the nearest piece of debris. "GET OFF MY SISTER!" He ran forward and swung the wood smashing it into the werewolf's muzzle shattering the material. The beast barely even seemed to notice the hit and just leaned down to lick Rose's cheek. It swung its paw out into Harry again, knocking the wind of out him and drawing three large, bloody lines across his chest. Harry crumpled to the ground trying desperately to get his breath back and ignore the stinging pain.

The werewolf reared its head back and opened its jaws poised right over Rose's head as she screamed again. Harry's vision when red and something in him snapped. He felt a…presence in his mind reaching out to him, _begging_ to be used. Pulling on that sensation Harry gritted his teeth and thrust his hand out to the side expecting his wand to come flying into his palm. Instead, a heavy weight of thick, gnarled wood settled into his grip. Taking barely a moment to look at Helga Hufflepuff's War Staff, Harry surged back to his feet and swung at the werewolf again.

The staff definitely had more of an effect. The werewolf was knocked off of Rose by a burst of bright, blue light and thrown backward, landing in a heap. It scrambled back to all fours a second later, snarling at Harry. He snarled right back and stepped between the werewolf and Rose. Behind him, his sister crawled backwards and thrust her hands into the debris pile that Harry had pulled her out of – probably looking for her wand.

"I don't want to kill you, Lupin, but if you come after my sister again I'm going to have to hurt you!" Harry said through clenched teeth. His hands tightened on the staff, his knuckles whitening. The werewolf either didn't understand him or didn't care because Harry had barely finished his sentence before it coiled its legs and jumped towards him. He scowled and thrust the War Staff forward. " _Depulso_!" The banishing charm shot from the spear end smashing into the werewolf in mid-air. The creature was thrown back smashing into the wall hard enough to crack the plaster. Whimpering, the werewolf curled up on itself and turned its gaze towards the ground.

Harry kept the War Staff pointed towards the werewolf as he backed up slowly. "Rose, forget the wands, we're leaving."

"Works for me," she replied swiftly clutching his arm and pressing up behind him. "Can you bust open the door?" He nodded and risked a quick spell towards the debris blocking the door blasting it out of the way before turning right back and keeping the staff angled at the werewolf. The twins slowly walked backwards and managed to slip into the tunnel they had used to get to the Shack without the werewolf moving towards them. Breathing a quiet sigh of relief Harry and Rose twisted and started to run down the tunnel as fast as they could go in the cramped space.

They were past the Whomping Willow before they finally slowed to catch their breath. Rose looked at the War Staff blankly for a moment and shook her head with a small, manic grin spreading across her face. "Someone made a friend."

"It followed me home," Harry replied deadpan.

"More like it followed you into danger." She sighed and a tremor shook her body. Wrapping her arms around herself Rose moaned, though she cut off the sound almost as soon as it escaped her lips. Harry didn't have a chance to do anything before she dropped her arms to her side and clenched her teeth. "We have to get to Sprout and Flitwick and tell them…about…oh shite. Harry, look!"

Harry twisted his head to follow his sister's extended hand. His eyes widened as he saw no less than twenty Dementors beginning to converge on the North Tower. "We're too late," he said squeezing his eyes shut as his lips pulled back from his teeth. "Snape must have grabbed Sirius while we were unconscious and now they're going to kill him. We'll never make it up there in time!"

"No…but we have another option," Rose murmured. She stepped up beside Harry and laid her hand onto his own where it clutched the staff. She pulled the staff up and pointed it towards the tower. "Blow it up."

Harry turned to Rose with a deep frown. "What? But that – "

"It worked a few minutes ago. It'll work again. He can run in the confusion or worst-case, we can get up there before they figure out what's going on. Blow it up, Harry. It's the only way to save our godfather. He may be a bit crazy, but he went to prison trying to avenge our family. Let's blow it up and give him a chance."

Harry took a breath and turned to gaze back up at the Tower. He saw a window being thrown up for the gathering Dementors to begin filing in. Nodding, Harry moved his hands up to wrap his fingers around her own where they rested on the staff. He murmured, "Okay. Rose, here we go. _Bombarda_ on three. One, two, three."

The twins shouted out their spell and the beam of erupted from the War Staff. It seemed to hang in the air for an eternity as it lanced across space and smashed into the wall of the North Tower. As the spell contacted the stone the entire room seemed to explode outward stone raining down across the grounds. Half the Dementors were knocked out of the air and seemingly crushed by debris while the others scattered and ran.

Harry and Rose looked on the destruction they had wrought with the barest hint of a smile. It wasn't perfect, but they had given Sirius Black a chance to escape yet again.

* * *

"I." Punch.

"Can't." Punch.

"Believe." Punch.

"He." Punch.

"Gets." Punch.

"Away." Punch.

"With." Punch.

"It!" Harry slammed his fist into the wall of the smallest bedroom on Privet Drive for the eighth time. He'd lost feeling in his hand near the fourth hit, but he was too angry to stop. As he pulled his arm back for another strike Rose stepped in front of him with her arms spread wide.

"Stop!" she hissed, her mouth set in a thin line and her eyes narrowed. "Harry, just _stop_! We _knew_ Snape would get off scot-free. Nobody ever believes us and Dumbledore always stands up for him."

"He tried to kill me! Merlin knows what he was going to do to you!" Harry shouted, his lips curled into a snarl.

"BOY!" Vernon's roar from outside the closed door echoed through the house. Harry and Rose immediately shut up and turned as one towards their door. Harry clenched his numb fist and Rose edged over so that she was standing behind him. Heavy clomps announced the approach of the walrus though they hesitated outside the door. "We are leaving, and you and that whore will be _quiet_ while we are gone! If I get back and hear one errant comment from the neighbors…I will destroy every item you require to attend that monstrosity you call a _school_. Do I make myself clear?"

Harry grit his teeth attempting to take a calming breath and failing miserably. "Crystal."

"Good." The sound of locks being thrown rang out clearly and Harry didn't have to be looking at her to know that Rose was hanging her head. Hopefully the Dursleys would leave quickly so the twins could undo the locks.

"Uncle Vernon?" Rose called out in a convincingly dejected tone. She already knew the answer before she'd even asked the question. "How long with you be gone?"

Vernon's steps had started to clomp away from their room again though at Rose's word they paused. "We will return Monday morning. Seeing as how you gorged yourselves while with your freak brethren, I am sure you'll be fine for such a short time."

Harry's breath came in short gasps as he used every ounce of control he had to avoid grabbing for his wand and exploding the door in the walrus' face. _We agreed to come back here. Tonks offered us to stay with her from the beginning and we agreed to come back here. Why in all nine hells did we think this wouldn't be as bad as usual?_ Rose stepped up next to him and took his uninjured hand in her own squeezing just hard enough that Harry was able to use the anchor to calm himself down enough to breathe normally.

"But, Uncle Vernon, that's over two days. What about water? Can't you at least leave us something to drink? We promise we'll be good," his sister pleaded.

"If he doesn't we'll break down the bloody door, trash the house and go stay with Tonks again," Harry murmured. Rose squeezed his hard harder and snorted – thankfully soft enough that Vernon did hear it.

There was a long pause before a frustrated warble came from their relative. "Fine!" He stomped back towards them and a single bottle of water rolled in under the cat flap. "Don't drink it all at once, freak. If you soil yourselves you'll be dealing with the mess on your own!" With his parting shot Vernon retreated back down the stairs. Only when the front door slammed did Harry and Rose both sigh, their shoulders slumping and their back slouching.

"One water bottle for two and half days and no bathroom breaks?" Rose sneered as she picked up the offending drink and glared at it. "I swear, he gets more and more horrible every year."

"You mean vindictive, Rose," Harry said falling back onto the bed and draping his throbbing hand over his eyes. "We're learning that trait from the best. To be fair, we did almost kill Marge last year; this time he does actually have a reason to hate us."

Rose snorted. "I distinctly remember _you_ being the one with the kitchen knife. You didn't even use magic, Harry; he has no right to lord that over us as part of our 'freakishness'."

"Since when has reality ever mattered to Vernon? Or any of the Dursleys?"

"True." There was a pause before Rose sighed and set the water bottle down on their desk. "You know if we couldn't get out of this room, we would actually be in a bit of trouble I think."

Harry waved his arm towards the cage with Hedwig. "That's what our awesome owl is for. Besides, if things got really bad we could just jump out the window. It's not like two stories is that bad of a fall if you do it right. Good thing Mrs. Trell complained about the bars last year; otherwise…yeah, we'd probably have to pop the hinges off the door and rehang it Sunday night."

"You're such a good owl, aren't you girl!" Rose cooed petting Hedwig's feathers. The owl barked and bobbed her head up and down in obvious agreement. "Would you mind going and unlocking us, please? You can go hunting afterwards for a bit if you want too. Actually…you probably _should_ go hunting after."

Hedwig barked, nipped at Rose's fingers and took off out the window. Harry just chuckled and covered his eyes again with his arm. A weight settled into the small bed next to him and he felt Rose wrap her hands around his tingling fingers. He couldn't stop the small wince despite her tender touch. "Dammit, Harry, you have to stop hurting yourself like this. Snape isn't worth it. We'll get revenge on him eventually. Somehow." She ran her hands in a slow circle, her palms radiating an unnatural heat. "You and your temper. What am I going to do with you?" she asked in a soft, warm tone.

"Well to start with, keep doing that," Harry murmured. They hadn't been able to figure out how they could heal each others' wounds without using wands, but it wasn't something either really wanted to think about too hard. They could do it easily enough and it had never set off the Ministry Trace detections like Dobby's magic had. Why look a gift horse in the mouth?

"That temper is going to get you into trouble one day, Harry," Rose whispered. She shifted one hand to start running up the length of his forearm sending light shivers cascading down his spine from the sensation.

"Probably," Harry agreed. "I promise I'll work on it, Rosy." He let out a low moan as Rose's hand worked at a knot in his shoulder. She let go of his healed fist and shifted to straddle him, her other hand moving to work on his left shoulder. Harry felt all of the tension he had been under since the confrontation with Lupin and Snape drain away under his sister's ministrations. "That feels good…"

"Mhmm." Rose smirked at him as Harry relaxed deeper into their small bed. Her hands slowly shifted to massaging his neck, then behind his ears, and then finally came to rest on either side of his face. Rose nodded firmly to herself then bent down towards him. She stopped the barest fraction away, her face hovering tantalizing over his. A thousand reasons for simply staying pressed into the bed flashed through his mind – and not a single one made any sense in that moment.

Harry closed the gap between them and captured Rose's lips with his. A soft mewl of contentment escaped them both as the kiss deepened. Her lips parted and Harry's tongue quickly slipped past, entwining with Rose's. She moved her hands up, grasped his hair and pulled him against her. The moment seemed to stretch on for forever the two siblings parting only when breathing became an urgent requirement. Harry fell back against the bed a large smile plastered on his face as Rose grinned down from above. "What was that for, Rose?"

"We have two and a half days without the Dursleys. Two and a half days to see if it's worth it to stay here instead of taking Tonks up on her offer. I don't want fancy waiting." She rolled her hips back and forth, her grin spreading as Harry's lower body responded without any conscious input from his head, the evidence forming a sizeable bulge in his hand-me-down trousers.

Harry gulped and placed his hands on Rose's hips bringing her movements to a stop. "I know we thought about… _this_ a few days back, but Rose…Rose are you _sure_? This is, well, it's something that we can't take back."

Rose giggled and straightened, the movement thrust out her chest to a degree that Harry knew had to be intentional. "Harry, I think we crossed the point of no return a few months back."

"Yeah, but to go all the way would really, truly, Merlin-as-my-witness shatter any remaining potential of a line to itsy bitsy pieces that can't be put back together again. Are, you, _sure_?"

Rose sighed and leaned down again. This time the kiss was light – barely more than a dusting on his lips – though no less intimate. "Every year things get worse, Harry. Every year we get closer and closer to losing each other and every time we just barely scrape by. One day our luck is going to turn and we won't pull through. When that happens one of us is going to be alone and we won't be able to cope. I want – no I _need_ to make sure that we have something to remind us of why we keep going. I don't want my first time to be with some random bloke that I've only know for a few months or a year or two. I want my first time to be with the guy who's always been there; who's always protected me; who's always thought of me first. I want _you_ , Harry."

Harry couldn't really argue with her points, especially since she was voicing nearly the same thoughts running through his own head. He still needed to make sure though. If only to buy time while trying to calm the butterflies flying formations through his stomach. "We could wait a bit. We turn 14 in few weeks. We could do it then…"

Rose giggled again and raised her eyebrows. "Somehow I doubt those weeks are going to change anything. We came back here so that we could experiment instead of sneaking around Tonks' flat. Could we wait until we're older? Probably, but I wasn't lying when I said I don't think our luck is going to hold. I don't want to wait too long and lose you. Even worse, I don't want someone like Draco or Vernon or Snape to get there first while we just kept saying 'next time'. I _want_ this, Harry."

Harry ran his gaze over his sister checking for any of the usual tells that she was blustering or exaggerating. The tick at the side of her right eye was absent, her left hand was firm and steady, her jaw was relaxed…She was being completely truthful. He felt her roll her hips against him again and he didn't bother to suppress his grunt of appreciation at the thrill it sent through his body. "Okay," he whispered. He shifted his hand up and cupped her head gently pulling her down for another kiss. As they broke apart he murmured against her lips, "If you want to stop at any point though just tell me."

Rose nodded and turned to the side enough to lightly kiss his hand. Then she sat up straight and without any hesitation pulled her shirt off and lobbed it into the corner, her bra quickly following behind. Harry chuckled, running his hands up her sides. "No attempt at seduction then, Rosy?" he said with a teasingly lilt. His hands moved from her sides and gently cupped her breasts, squeezing just enough to elicit a soft moan of appreciation from his sister.

Rose arched her back, forcing him to lean up slightly to keep his hands latched onto her. "The only 'seduction' I know of is the gossip from the girls in the dorm. I'd rather we try our own way first." If she was going to say anything further it cut off in a gasp as Harry changed to pulling at her nipples. She moaned again, her hands flying up to cover his own as her lower body rocked back and forth on top of him. Harry couldn't help the grunt of pleasure that escaped him as well as she moved.

"No fair that I'm the only one without a shirt," Rose mumbled. She let his hands go and pawed at the edges of his shirt. Harry reluctantly let her breasts go and levered himself up enough for Rose to rip garment over his head where it proceeded to join the other discarded clothes. Rose immediately fell forward to lie flat atop him, her hands tangled in his hair, her lips smashed against his, and her chest pressed up against him.

Harry sighed into her mouth, his arms wrapping around her and crushing her to him. Rose bit his lip and pulled back just enough for her to make eye contact with him, the happy glint in her eyes easily apparent. She shook her hips one more time before gently prying Harry's hands away and rolling onto her side. Harry frowned in confusion for a brief moment before he saw Rose's hands hurriedly pushing her pants down, her thumbs hooked under her panties. In one motion Rose was lying beside him completely naked.

"Wow," Harry murmured. His hands seemed to move on their own as one started caressing her stomach and the other returned to her breast. His eyes roved over Rose's form though he quickly locked his gaze onto hers. "You really are beautiful, Rose."

"Pretty sure you're the only one who thinks that, Harry," she whispered. The mild hitch in her voice disappeared as she took a deep breath and sighed with pleasure under his ministrations. "I appreciate the compliment though. Now quit being all nice and stop teasing me already!"

"Whatever my lady says," Harry replied smirking. He leaned over and latched onto her nipple rolling it between his teeth as his hand on her stomach moved down and started to caress her lower lips. While Rose's moans encouraged him, the wetness on his fingers was more than enough to prove that Rose was already highly enjoying herself. She bucked her hips up into his fingers, her hand holding his head against her chest.

"Fucking hell," Rose grunted. "It never felt this good before!"

Harry let Rose's breast pop out of mouth and he grinned at her. "Yeah well we always stopped before. Not stopping this time," he winked at her. He released her long enough to throw his own pants off before grabbing for her hips. With a swift pull, Harry rolled Rose over so that she was lying on him again. "You should be the one to set the pace, Rose. I think it's supposed to hurt the girl the first time and if you're on top maybe it won't be as bad."

Rose smiled at him and kissed him hard. "Such a gentleman," she whispered. She rocked her hips back, her lower lips rubbing against his freed shaft and bringing a gasp from them both. "You don't have to worry though, Harry. Broom riding took care of my hymen a while back."

"Oh. Is that a good – " Harry's question cut off in a moan as Rose's latest shift had lodged his head just inside her. The warmth enveloping him was enough to leave most of his higher brain functions on a temporary hold in order to process the new sensation. "God…"

Rose's response was to wrap her arms around his chest and push back further. The angle apparently was all wrong though as Harry slipped out of her and Rose merely ground against him. She growled in annoyance and pushed herself up to sit up straight. "Need leverage," she murmured. Reaching down, Harry bucked as Rose grasped him in her hand and with a quick reposition, lowered herself down onto him. Harry's mind again blanked out with the exquisite feeling of sliding into Rose's sheath. He registered the gasp from his sister, but couldn't focus enough to tell if it was from pain or pleasure. Figuring it was better to be safe than sorry, Harry lifted one hand to cup her breast again while his other moved to start lightly running circles over her button.

Rose exhaled, a deep moan of appreciation vibrating throughout her entire body. "This – is – awesome!" she panted. Her hips lifted enough to rise up a few inches before falling back down on top of him. Harry gasped at the pleasure flowing through him though this time he maintained enough mental direction to keep rubbing Rose. She started to bounce up and down again, her movements growing faster and faster.

"Rose," Harry grunted, "either slow down or stop. I'm getting close."

"Screw that," Rose huffed rocking even faster. "We have two and a half days to slow down! I am not stopping now!"

Harry moaned again feeling himself losing control as his hips rocked up to meet Rose. The grunts from above him vanished as Rose fell forward, her lips seeking his and her tongue darting into his mouth. Harry clutched her to him as their lower halves kept crashing together gaining a near desperate rhythm. "Harry!" Rose whimpered into his mouth. Her hips crashed against him one final time before freezing up, her arms squeezing his chest. Harry felt her tightening and convulsing on him to the point where it nearly hurt. The pressure pushed him over the edge as well and groaning, his own release erupted inside Rose.

Their lips parted, Rose dropping her head to rest in the crook of his neck, breathing deeply. It was a few minutes before she could muster words. "That – was – totally – worth – it."

Harry laughed, holding her tighter against him. "Yeah. Yeah it was," he replied. "Rose?"

"Yes?" she asked, her voice drifting off.

"I love you, Rose," Harry murmured, threading a hand through her hair and caressing her back.

"I love you too, Harry. I always have…and I always will." The siblings snuggled closer, drifting off together. A line had been crossed, a line that both had long since ceased to care about.

* * *

Harry sloshed out of the frigid Black Lake with his shivering sister flush against his side under one arm and a young, coughing girl clinging to his chest under the other. Whatever warming and stasis charms had been on them had broken as soon as they breached the surface and Harry had had his hands full, preventing him from attempting to cast any sort of warming charm. By the time he'd been able to drag the three of them onto dry land, Rose was pale from the cold and the small blonde's lips had turned blue.

"Gabrielle!" Fleur's shout rang out from the tent near the docks. It somehow managed to straddle the line between panic, relief and rage. Harry sympathized with his fellow contestant's feelings – they rather closely paralleled his own.

Except his were running with the 'rage' aspect cranked up far enough to break the meter.

Though he gently set the blonde onto the grass and Fleur ran forward to swiftly envelop her, the young girl's blue eyes never left him. Nodding at the two Harry turned to the approaching judges, all traces of satisfaction vacating his features and his mouth setting into a line thin enough that one would be forgiven for forgetting he even had lips.

"Wonderfully done, Harry. And with an extra hostage and the best time as well! Splendid indeed!" Dumbledore said clapping his hands together, the large smile on his face rivaling Bagman's.

"So…cold…" Rose mumbled. Harry pulled her closer against him and glared harder at the judges. He flicked his wand towards his sister, sending a wave of warmth cascading over her. As soon as that was done, he thrust his wand back into its sheath and threw his hand to the side. His eyes never left Dumbledore as he _called_ to the waiting presence of the War Staff. Feeling the item rouse itself Harry curled his fingers as the weight of the wood fell into his hand. "Harry? Harry, no!"

Ignoring Rose, Harry growled and levered the staff so that it was pointing towards the judges. To their credit all five pulled to an abrupt halt. "Mister Potter! What is ze meaning of zis?" Maxime asked frowning.

"You _bastards_ ," Harry snarled as sparks leapt from the Staff's pointed tip falling to the ground and making the grass smolder. "You _left_ my _sister_ at the bottom of the fucking _lake_! In _February_! You left a _kid_ down there! She's half my weight!"

"Monsieur Potter?" Fleur quested softly from behind him. Harry ignored her too; the 'judges' in front of him where the only thing that he cared about at the moment.

"65% casualty rate for competitors," Harry continued, his lips curling to expose his teeth not unlike Lupin's werewolf form had last year. "79% casualty rate for 'assisting participants' in the Second Tasks. 48% casualties for attendees. I do my homework, Dumbledore!" Harry spat out. The staff started sparking more, a near steady stream lighting the ground under its tip. " _79%_ _in the last twenty Tournaments_! You _left them down there_!"

"Harry, stop! We're fine!" Rose yelled, squirming out of his grasp and planting herself in front of him.

"YOUR TEETH ARE STILL CHATTERING!" Harry roared. He dimly registered several splashes behind him, though Rose's continual shivers were far more important. She had slammed her mouth shut at his words – it didn't help her to hide the small tremors from him. He'd known her too long for that level of concealment to work.

"I've been through worse! We both have," Rose laid her hands on his chest and pushed him a step back. "Harry, it's over. Historically the last Task is just going to be a stupid obstacle race. The really bad part is over. I'm okay! The girl is okay!"

" 'e 'as a point…" Fleur commented standing to join them as her sister stayed off to the side. The little blonde's eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open slightly. Harry's quick glance in her direction just renewed his anger as he turned back to the Headmasters snarling.

"Fleur, shut up! Harry, look at me! Look at me!" Rose grasped his chin with one hand, jerking his head down to meet her gaze while her other hand forced his arm with the staff towards the ground. "Remember what we talked about over the summer? About your temper? You. Need. To. Calm. _Down_!"

"You could've died," Harry whispered.

Rose shook her head. "You don't get to freak out, unless I am bleeding and broken. We agreed. Now _calm down_!"

Harry grit his teeth and forced his eyes shut. He took several deep breaths while his lips still curled in a silent snarl. Finally after a seeming eternity, he let his death grip on Hufflepuff's staff loosen, the weapon falling to the ground as he turned his back on the growing audience. He stalked several paced away and fell to the ground with his arms and legs crossed. If he couldn't curse the bastards then he'd just sit here until the urge to hurt them passed.

"There you go," Rose murmured behind him, her hand falling onto his shoulder and giving him a reassuring squeeze. "Madame Pomfrey, please tell me you have a Calming Draught…or three?"

Harry tuned out the rest of the world and steadfastly refused to respond to the jerk he felt inside of his chest when Dumbledore picked up the War Staff murmuring, "I believe it is time to find stronger containment wards for you. At least until Mr. Potter learns how to control himself."

As Pomfrey bustled around him Fleur's sister came up to him and cupped his hands. She smiled at him and nodded. "Zank you. Zank you, _Monsieur_ Potter. You are _mon h_ _é_ _ros_."

* * *

" 'arry, Rose, a moment please," Fleur said as the members of the Order of the Phoenix stepped past her into the kitchen. Harry frowned in confusion as he stepped to the side of the hallway with Rose and Fleur.

"What's up, Fleur? Don't you need to get in there with the others?" Harry asked.

Fleur nodded as she reached into her bag. "Yes, zough zey can wait a moment longer. Zis won't take long. I have a letter for you two."

"For us?" Rose asked. She snatched the parchment out of their semi-friend's hand and held it up to the light. "Who's sending a letter? Why are _you_ giving it to us? Great, Dumbledore's locked down Hedwig now too hasn't he? Bloody git…"

Fleur chuckled holding her hand over her mouth in a vain attempt to hide the grin. "My you have grown paranoid, Rose. _Non_ , I am hand-delivering zis because ze owl-repelling wards on your surroundings are quite strong. Zis letter has been rebuffed repeatedly with multiple different owls and attempted versions of post. I zought it easiest to simply give it to you myself since I was coming to ze house for ze meeting. I can't stay after zis zough as I am needed back at Gringotts. Zose goblins are quite demanding with zeir work hours. Perhaps we will get a chance to, what is ze English phrase…catch up later? _Au revoir_!" Without waiting for a reply Fleur walking around Rose and with a small wave, sauntered into the kitchen joining the rest of the Order, closing the door behind her.

"Weird," Rose murmured.

Harry nodded in agreement and reached for the letter. Before he had a chance to open it however, Fred and George came down from the landing above and motioned the Potters up. Shrugging, Harry slipped the letter into his pocket and walked up to meet the older twins with his sister. "Oi, welcome to our humble home away from home. Soon to be your home away from home if Sirius has his way," Fred stated with a grin and a waving his hand to encompass the dingy house. "Not much of a looker, though it's got more space than Tonks' locale from what we understand."

"Not that we've had occasion to visit the bubbly maniac in her den of chaos of course," George chimed in. Harry smirked at that; he really couldn't deny that Tonks seemed to live in disorganized chaos half the time. Rose had nearly cursed the Auror out of her own home when she'd first stepped foot in the mess. He had apparently missed the moment his sister became a bit of a neat freak.

Soft footfalls announced the arrival of the remaining teenagers in the household, Ron, Ginny and Hermione joining the other four on the landing. "Oh, you guys made it. Excellent, now I can actually get some studying done!" Hermione crowed breaking out into a large grin as she saw the twins.

Harry raised an eyebrow at his friend. " _That's_ what you lead with, Hermione?"

She grimaced and shifted closer to the Potters, clearly stepping away from Ron and Ginny. "Ron is impossible to work with, Ginny is a year lower, Fred and George are unwilling to assist; from our study group, Neville and Susan have both been removed to attend Beauxbatons, Sally-Anne and Justin have apparently left this hemisphere entirely. We three are the last members of our group. So yes, I'm leading with what I am comfortable with, because I don't really want to think about the implications of most of my friends leaving the country thanks to a madman."

"Well when you put it like that…" Rose muttered. She shook her head and gave a quick wave to the youngest Weasleys. "Hello, Ginny, Ronald."

Ginny started to wave back before stopping halfway through, her hand falling limply to her side while Ron completely ignored them.

"Please ignore our less pleasant siblings," Fred stated frowning at his brother and sister. "Anyway, Potter and Potter, I'm betting you want to hear the good stuff."

"Considering they're talking about the wanker that killed are parents and has tried to kill us almost every bloody year, that's a good guess," Rose replied glaring at the door to the kitchen below them.

"Rose," Harry sighed. "There's no point getting angry at being left out of the loop. We have bigger things to worry about now – like my trial. Wait…" Harry paused and blinked repeatedly before rubbing his eyes and staring at the three fleshy cords that George was dropping over the balcony and angling with his wand. "Is that…an _ear_?"

George nodded and handed one end to the Harry, Rose and Hermione, another Ginny and Ron and kept the final one for himself and Fred. "New invention, mate. Extendable Ears. We're still working on how to ditch the wire, but they work well enough for the moment." The ears slipped under the door and George quickly held the other end up near his ear with Fred leaning over to get closer. Smiling in approval, Harry brought his own up to a position where Rose and Hermione could hear as well. The sounds from the Order meeting were surprisingly clear through the Extendable Ear.

"You can't be serious!" Tonks shouted. "I have never heard something more insane in my life!"

"Tonks, I know you are close to Harry, but look at it objectively," Kingsley Shacklebolt's calming baritone implored. Harry's eyes narrowed at his words. Perhaps Voldemort wasn't on the agenda this afternoon after all…

"Objectively? _Objectively_ those two have been dealt a bad hand and not a one of you wankers have stepped up to help them besides Sirius."

Rose nodded, a small grin crossing her face. "Knew I liked her."

"The ice cream and butterbeer had nothing to do with it, I'm sure," Hermione replied teasingly. Rose just rolled her eyes at the remark.

"Tonks, come on, he's dangerous. Dangerous and violent. We've all seen it." That voice was less familiar. If pressed Harry would probably guess one of the new Aurors they'd been introduced to a few hours ago; maybe Hestia Jones?

"Name one instance," Sirius scoffed.

Hestia sighed. "In order? He knocked out a mountain troll at 11. He killed a professor later that year. He blew off the top of a basilisk's head. He nearly killed Remus. He destroyed the West Tower. He sent a Hungarian Horntail cowering into a corner. He nearly attacked Dumbledore. I know I'm fairly new to the Auror job, but that's a strong pattern there."

"You highly downplay the incident with the troll, Jones," Snape's sneer had an angry growl surging from Harry's chest while beside him Rose's hands clenched into fists. "He did not 'knock it out'. Potter levitated and banished its own club down its throat. He killed it in an extremely painful, slow fashion."

It was probably a good thing they hadn't been allowed inside. If they had he would've been attacking Snape by now. "That bastard! I _told_ them I was trying to slam the back of the stupid thing's throat and stun it! How was I supposed to know it would fall onto the bloody club while it was stumbling around?"

"Shhh!" Ron whispered glaring at Harry. Both sets of twins glared right back at the youngest male brother before all again turned their attention to the argument.

"So he responds with prejudice to deadly situations," Sirius scoffed. "Name a time when he was _not_ in life-threatening circumstances."

Snape laughed, though there was no humor in it. "The Headmaster was not threatening Potter in any fashion when he pointed one of the most deadly tools of the past five hundred years at him. I for one have no difficulty seeing him murdering Diggory while they were alone in that graveyard."

"Come over here and say that Snivellus!"

Tonks' shout was right behind Sirius' own. "You people have gone mad! You're listening to this creep over those of us who've actually spent time with the kid?"

"I second zat. 'arry has been nozing, but honorable to me and my family and I have never seen him act ozerwise except to zose whose deserved such treatment," Fleur said speaking up for the first time.

"You must admit, it is suspicious," Shacklebolt said with a heavy sigh. "There is little doubt that Voldemort has returned, but surely he wouldn't simply kill a strong pureblood like Cedric Diggory when he could attempt to recruit the boy instead. Albus, if you would allow us to view the memory you took from Mr. Potter of the events or even to speak with him directly about how things transpired that evening…"

"I am afraid I cannot allow that," Dumbledore stated just barely loud enough for the ears to pick the comment up. "Harry was under a great deal of stress at the time and I cannot in good conscious allow him to be questioned and forced to relive it. The pensieve memory contained sensitive information and has since been destroyed. If what Harry witnessed was released to a wide enough audience it would be devastating to our cause."

Tonks snarled. "Either you are the most idiotic fool I've ever met or you are intentionally wording your responses in the worst possible way, Dumbledore! Tell them what happened already!"

"If you know so much, girl, you tell us," Moody replied with a gruff snort.

"I will after I have more than two minutes to sit down and talk to them!" Tonks shouted. "They've been here less than ten minutes and you've continually refused to put me on 'guard duty' where I could've spoken with them previously – supposedly so they could 'grieve'. Doesn't anyone see how backwards that is? They need to talk to their friends!"

"You keep talking about Harry _and_ Rose," Molly Weasley said. The confusion in her voice was mixed with some measure of rebuke. "We're only discussing _Harry_ , Tonks."

"They're obviously a package deal," Sirius replied slamming something. "I haven't had much time to get to know them, but that's fairly clear."

"Only a fool deals in absolutes," Snape replied. "Rose Potter has enough Evans blood in her to be salvageable if we act quickly. This trial could be a blessing in disguise."

"So says the _murderer_!" Sirius screamed. "Don't think I forgot about how you tried to drag her out of the Shack and leave Harry to Remus' wilder side! You just want a replacement for your obsession!"

"That is enough!" Dumbledore yelled a loud bang reverberating through the room and making the eavesdroppers wince. "Harry says he did not injure Cedric and I believe him. While his tendency to drift towards the violent solution to problems is worrisome it is not something we can afford to meditate on at this junction. Now, Remus, what is the status of the werewolf packs?"

Harry pulled back from the Extendable Ear, a scowl firmly etched onto his face and his hand curled around his smoking wand. Taking a deep breath he shoved his wand back into its holster and glared at the teenagers around him. "What? You think I killed Cedric too?"

"Yes," Ron replied his own wand in his hand though pointed at the floor. Beside him, Ginny just looked miserable and refused to meet anyone's eyes. "Look, Potter, I get that You-Know-Who is back. I do. I'm not an idiot – the Director of the DMLE wouldn't be sending her niece away for nothing. But yeah, Cedric led the charge against you in your own House for half the school year, and then you refused to accept his apology after the Second Task. You destroy everything that gets close to you. I think you're right about You-Know-Who, but I don't trust you and I don't like having you sleeping in the same house as me. You stay away from me and my family, Potter, you hear me?"

"Ronald, shut up," Hermione hissed. Before she could continue, the Weasley twins nodded their heads.

"We agree," Fred stated. "Harry, you're a good bloke. You're decisive and protective, nothing wrong with that. George and I know you didn't have anything to do with Cedric. Excuse us while we try to talk some sense into our siblings." He and George quickly summoned the lengths of the Extendable Ears and walked off, herding Ron and Ginny ahead of them upstairs.

Hermione huffed as it came down to just the Potters and her. "I doubt it needs to be said, but in case it does: I don't think you are an unhinged murderer, Harry. While I have not been present for the majority of your adventures, I fully understand that everything stated down there was wildly out of context. You are both my friends. Please try not to dwell on this." She sighed shaking her head before proceeding. "It's growing increasingly apparent that the Wizarding World is not remotely as evolved as I had hoped when I first found out that magic was real. The people are backwards, the culture is stagnant and the Bystander Syndrome is nearly an epidemic. We can try to fix these problems when we have graduated and reached a position where people will listen to us. For now, we need to focus on the immediate problems we _can_ work on."

"Like Harry's trial," Rose replied nodding.

"Yes," Hermione agreed. "You two get some rest. I've been researching case law in Sirius' library. It's not extensive, but it might be helpful. You can join me after you get settled if you wish or I can show you what I've found after dinner."

"Do you know where our room is?" Harry asked gruffly. Now that he didn't have the voices accusing him right in his ear his anger was starting finally ebb.

"Third floor, second door on the left," Hermione stated. "It's technically just yours, Harry. Rose is supposedly sleeping with me one floor down on the third door on the left. I know perfectly well that you'll sneak out as soon as I'm asleep however, Rose. So why don't we just skip all that and I'll just say that you slept with me and you can throw your things in with Harry."

"Works for me. Thanks, Hermione," Rose replied. She stepped closer to her friend and briefly hugged the brunette before quickly pulling back.

Hermione just sighed and shook her head. "You know you two really need to figure out how to get a full night's sleep separately. You can't just stay together in one room your entire lives."

Harry shrugged and walked past Hermione. "Old habits die hard. Thanks again, Hermione. We'll catch up in a bit."

Together, Rose and Harry trudged up to their room carefully closing, locking and silencing the door once they were inside. Harry sat on the bed and dropped his head against his chest. "Rose, am I really _that_ bad? Do I…When did I start becoming like Dudley? Hell this is…this _worse_ than Dudley. He'd kill someone sure, but it'd be an accident. This – they actually think that I could just murder Cedric and pretend like it was Voldemort. I know I didn't like him and I know I'm protective, but…"

Rose sat herself behind him and molded herself around him. She kissed his neck and squeezed her arms around his chest tight enough to make it hard to breathe. "You're not that bad. You have a temper, but it's not _nearly_ that bad. They're just scared, Harry. Like I get with Vernon. You're just the only person they can blame, because Riddle is too big. He's an abstract concept and you're right here in front of their face."

"So what do I do?" he pleaded.

"Just be you," Rose whispered. "And maybe let me start to take the lead a bit more. Instead of lashing out, let me try. I know I haven't actually stepped up in the past, but I'm going to now. You just concentrate on getting through whatever the Ministry is going to throw at you and I'll work on standing up for us. Okay?"

Harry clutched at her hands and gave a small nod. "Okay," he murmured. "Rose, if things go bad…"

"Then I'll go back to the Dursleys," she replied immediately.

"You'll _what_?!"

Rose shrugged, the movement pushing him forward slightly. "I can try to stand up for _us_ when you're around, but if you think I'm going to suddenly be able to fight off Snape and half this bloody house you're insane. No, I'll go back to the Dursleys where at I know how to deal with them and stay under the radar."

"You could go to Tonks again…"

"Yeah, if the Ministry lets her have enough time to go home each night. We both know that one way or another I'm probably the next big target. Tonks' flat is fine and all, but I can't just stay there by myself for days on end while she's stuck at the office."

Harry sighed. "Guess you're right."

"Course I am," Rose said chuckling as she pulled his shirt up enough to rub a hand across his chest. "Now, before we forget, what was that letter that Fleur passed along?"

Harry's eyes widened and he laughed reaching for his pocket. "I _had_ forgotten about that." He pulled it out and flipped it open glancing down at it in confusion. "It's a letter from Gabrielle."

Rose squinted at the letter and moved up so she could read over his shoulder. "That's Fleur's sister right? The girl you pulled out of the lake with me?"

"Yeah, I think so…"

"What's she doing writing to you?" Rose asked. She reached over his shoulder and pulled his hand up so she could read the parchment better.

Harry shrugged. "Search me. Might as well just read it."

_Monsieur and Mademoiselle Potter,_

_Please allow me to introduce myself, I am Gabrielle Delacour. We met briefly six months ago during the close of the Second Task in the Triwizard Tournament. I did not speak much English then – truthfully I still do not speak a great deal, but I am improving quickly – so I did not have much chance to truly make your acquaintance. Even now, this is not how I would prefer to speak to you though it will have to do for the moment – and this letter has been through much proofreading so I hope that it reads well…finally._

_Anyway, I wished to formally thank you Monsieur Potter for retrieving me from the lake bed. I understand that there was little actual danger however I have also discovered the reports about what has occurred at Hogwarts in the past few years and I have my doubts I would have actually been returned unharmed without your intervention. Even if that had been the case, you still risked yourself and your sister to bring me back. I can never begin to repair such a debt. Rest assured that I will attempt to do so for as long as physically possible._

_I hope that Fleur has explained that I am not as young as I appear. Veela biology is similar to humans in many respects, but our maturation occurs suddenly. Our puberty only lasts a few weeks you see. So please do not assume that this letter is the idle ramblings of a star-struck child. In truth I am only slightly younger than yourselves. So when I say that I intend to assist and support you I mean it with the conviction of a young woman and not that of a foolish little girl who knows nothing of the world._

_I make this point as I wish to express my rather_ extreme _discontent with your current situation. I have seen the way that the so-called 'newspaper' reports on you lately. I have seen you called many…unflattering names recently. I would use stronger language, but my tutors will not tell me the English equivalent and my mother has taken to removing all French-English dictionaries from our home. When I return to school in the next few weeks I am sure that my vocabulary will expand greatly…I digress; I was commenting on how your paper is no longer even fit to use as sanitary supplies. You, twins are heroes, both to me personally and to that arrogant, shameful, ungrateful, British Wizarding Culture as a whole!_

_Please do not take what the fools say to heart. I saw how few seemed to stand with you after those dreadful tasks in the Tournament and even fewer seem willing to publicly fly your banner now. Hold those who do close and never forget that you have at least one more supporter across the Channel._

_I am still in negotiations with my parents, but I hope to join you in Hogwarts either this coming year or the next. If you wish to have nothing to do with me I will of course respect that. But if you are interesting in building a friendship I would greatly welcome it. My sister and I both understand how it is to have few friends – you due to your fame, us due to our nature. While I and Fleur have grown apart as of late, I would like to stand beside you one day; if you will have me that is._

_Already this letter has dragged on too long. In close allow me to say this: I have previously attempted several times to send you correspondence yet each time my owl returns quite angry. I did have the chance to greet your own – quite by accident while searching for Laurent – while at Hogwarts. I don't think she likes me very much though I do have full confidence that such an intelligent creature would be able to reach me through your wards if you wish to continue speaking. If you do choose to use your snowy owl please persuade her to have patience with me while I reply. As I stated previously, my English is still a work in progress and these letters will take a bit of time to transcribe._

_Again, I ramble; my apologies. I simply wish to express my support and say again that no matter what the idiots of your country say, neither you, Harry, nor you, Rose, are alone. I may be far away for the moment, but I stand behind you. Now and always._

_Yours forever,_

_Gabrielle Delacour_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fanfic Rec: 'The Accidental Bond' by kb0. It's been a while since I read this so my summary is likely to be a bit smaller than usual. The key point is that this is a Harry/Gabi/Ginny/Hermione fic which takes the Soul Bond thing in a slightly different direction than usual. Here Harry ends up bonding with the girls whose lives he saves to everyone's initial amusement then growing annoyance as his group grows due to his heroing nature. It's good and as a plus, it's also complete.


	8. A…good day…?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Again, thanks to my beta, Grey Raven 09.
> 
> If you don't like cursing, be warned, there's a section with a lot of it towards the ending. Also a bit of an easter egg for those who enjoy cult classics.
> 
> A final heartfelt thank you to MidnightFenrir for his stellar assistance with the French language moments. (Translations are, as usual, at the bottom.)

**Chapter 8: A…good day…?**

Harry groaned and pulled the warm body lying across him closer. He breathed in the scent of his sister's favorite shampoo and the groan shifted down into a long sigh. He squeezed Rose again and his lips quirked up as he felt her shift higher under his hands.

"Morning, brother," she murmured placing a gentle kiss against each of his closed eyes. "I already know that it was a rough night, but do you feel any better now?"

"Leagues," Harry replied. He ran a hand through her hair, massaging her scalp as his other hand traced small lines across her back. "For the first time since we came up from that lake my head isn't hurting. I think I remember most of our life now, Rosy."

"Good," she whispered fervently. Her back arched slightly as he skimmed across one of her more sensitive muscles and the smile was evident in her voice even through his closed eyelids. "I hate you being in pain when I can't do anything."

"Must have been a rough ten years then," Harry teased. It probably wasn't his best taste in jokes, but it did seem appropriate. He tried to soften it by finally cracking his eyes open and gazing up at her blurry form, leaning up for a brief peck on her lips.

Rose chuckled as he lay back down and ran a hand gently across his cheek. "I honestly only survived it because of Ella. She was always there for me after you were taken, Harry. Always. I wasn't her Bonded, but she was there for me anyway. When Tonks got consumed with hunting the Horcruxes…Ella was the only thing I had; besides my obsession."

Harry nodded. "Well then I'm even happier that we dragged her back with us. Wouldn't have been right any other way."

"No, it wouldn't have." She kissed him again, her lips covering his own, her breath mixing with his. Too short an eternity later Rose pulled back and leaned over to the side table, returning to hovering over him a moment later with his glasses clutched in her hand. "Now come on, you have to get up and I have to pretend I was sleeping in my bed before Susan and Hannah wake up."

Harry took his glasses and raised an eyebrow at his sister. "Oh, since when do they actually notice anything around them before their morning tea?"

Rose rolled her eyes as she swung herself off of him and gathered the Invisibility Cloak. "Hardy har har. We've messed up enough as it is. Better to be safe than sorry."

"Well when you put it like that," Harry shrugged. He levered himself up and cast about for his slippers nodding to Rose as she handed them absently to him. "When you get back to your dorm, would you mind sending Ella a quick note to join us at breakfast? We haven't been able to spend much time with her recently."

"You read my mind," Rose said laughing. Waving to Harry she pulled up the Cloak's hood vanishing completely. A moment later, he felt the familiar tingle of the privacy wards dropping and the flutter of his bed's curtains as she slipped back to her own room.

Harry smiled to himself as he set about his morning routine, _finally_ feeling more like himself than he had in ages. Today was going to be a good day.

* * *

Harry and Rose had barely sat down before Gabrielle bounded into the Great Hall and promptly sat between the two of them with a large grin splitting her features. She leaned down and kissed first Harry then Rose on the cheek, turning quickly back towards the food and piling a small mountain onto her plate.

Harry chuckled and playfully bumped the Veela's shoulder. "You seem to have gained another few inches last night."

Gabrielle swallowed her bite of muffin and practically beamed. "I am now 5 foot 6. Less zan three inches to go now!"

"Happy you're not _small_ anymore, luv?" Rose asked smirking.

"You 'ave _no_ idea." Gabrielle replied.

"Oh I think I have _some_ idea," Rose stated softly her eyelids fluttering and her tone dropping into a seductive purr.

"You have been quite vocal about certain 'desires' after all." Harry managed to keep a straight face though it was a close call. He wasn't used to advertising his potential private activities to a crowd and while their trio were being far more overt than usual to play up the game of the Veela Seductress, they weren't exactly lying with the banter either.

Gabrielle pecked Harry on the cheek again. "I am Veela, it is expected." She twisted back to her food and playfully swatted Rose's hand away from her apple tart. "I am also ravenous after my growth spurt. Hands off ze food! Zis body needs its calories!"

"Err, Harry, Rose?" Susan asked from across the table. "Is there something you two want to tell us?"

"Yes, Potter," a drawl sounded from behind the trio. Harry took a deep breath to ensure he was prepared before turning his head to gaze at Snape's hovering figure. It was no surprise to see the deep sneer etched into the man's face. "Would you care to explain why the sister of the Beauxbaton's Champion is making a mockery of the breakfast meal? Your… _English_ lessons can continue on your own time. If you can manage to contain your infantile urges for more than a few minutes."

Gabrielle cocked her head to the side as she popped a strip of bacon into her mouth staring at Snape and chewing. Harry had to suppress his snort of amusement as her eyes lit up when the man scowled at her manners. "I was not aware zat you had ze authority to tell me where to sit or who to sit with. After all _, votre diplôme de maître de potions a moins de valeur que le parchemin sur lequel il est écrit et ne vous rend certainement pas qualifié pour enseigner_."

"What did you just say to me girl?" Snape demanded his lip curled into a snarl. He may not have understood French, but between Gabrielle's far too innocent tone and the loud snickers from the Beauxbatons students at the nearby Ravenclaw table the insulting nature was clear.

Gabrielle just blinked and smiled at Snape. "I am sorry, Monsieur. My Inglish, eet iz not ze best. I am still – 'ow you say – learning!"

"What are you doing here, child?" Snape bit out. His hand fluttered to his side and Harry narrowed his eyes, his own hand subtly shifting to provide better access to his wand holster if Snape drew on Gabrielle.

The silver haired girl however calmly disregarded Snape's growing anger and reached over to grab both of the Potter twins' hands, her smile widening to absurd degrees. "I am simply sitting beside my Mate, Monsieur. Now if you will excuse me, I 'ave a breakfast to eat!"

"Why you impudent little – "

"Professor Snape," Madame Maxime's booming baritone reverberated through the Hall interrupting Snape before he could build up his tirade. "I would zank you to leave ze students of my school alone. Dumblydore was quite clear zat ze staff alone are responsible for zeir own schools."

Snape's glare reached levels Harry hadn't seen since he'd first set foot in the man's classroom. Without another word Snape spun on his heel and stalked out of the room, his cloak billowing behind him. Gabrielle, not one to miss an opportunity, sweetly stated, " _C'est ça, retourne dans le trou dont tu es sorti, bâtard_ _!_ "

While several Beauxbatons students burst out laughing others clapped hands over their mouths – whether to hide amusement or disgust Harry couldn't tell. From Maxime's slightly upturned mouth he was willing to bet that she, at least, had no intention of punishing Gabrielle for her cheek.

"So what _did_ you say to him?" Harry asked as Gabrielle turned back to her plate and scarfed down a small poached egg.

Rose laughed and leaned over their partner to pat Harry's leg. "I'll tell you later, brother."

Susan cleared her throat and stared between the three until all of them had turned their eyes onto her. Finally seeing she had their attention she pointed a finger to each of the trio in turn. "Okay, spill. You said 'Mate'. I've been around my Aunt enough to know that that's a big term to a Veela. Just shy of Bonded, from what I remember of my etiquette classes. Was that for show, or was that real?"

Ernie nodded quickly and chimed in on Susan's comment. "And if it was real then who's she in a relationship with?"

Gabrielle just smiled and grabbed both twins' hands again. "Zat is for us to know and you to find out."

"Oh come on, it's not like you're dating _both_! Are you? Can you even do that? Is that a _thing_?" Ernie asked frowning. Gabrielle's answering smirk and small shrug set off a new round of questioning and needling.

Choosing to ignore the growing interrogation Harry caught Daphne's eyes from across the Hall. The blonde smiled at him and winked. Phase 1 of Operation Leak And Distract was apparently a raging success.

* * *

"I am not surprised you are failing at the Tournament, Potter. Apparently you cannot even stir a simple potion; how could one expect a…boy like you to compete on a level with normal wizards and witches," Snape sneered as he vanished the contents of Harry's cauldron.

Harry's hand tightened its hold on the bench below him and he gritted his teeth. A single turn more would've seen the potion at the correct color. Probably. Most likely. He assumed. This really wasn't his best subject but, at least his things didn't tend to explode like Seamus' or melt like Neville's. God, what he would give for a competent teacher to explain where he messed up! All of the levity from a few hours previous had fled once this lesson had started and Snape got to use him as a personal punching bag again.

"Professor, Harry is actually in second place right now in the Tournament and none of the Tasks would've given him enough time to brew a useful potion anyway," Hermione ventured. Bless her heart, the poor girl actually looked confused at Snape's jibes. Then again, he and Rose had never really told Hermione about how Snape had basically tried to set him up for death the year prior, so perhaps it was understandable.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for speaking out of turn, Granger." Snape barely even looked at Hermione as he pronounced his opinion of her logic. The man's eyes instead shifted from Harry to Rose's perfect purple concoction to finally focus in on Harry's sister. A slight gleam shone through his black eyes that nearly rent Harry's careful control of his temper to pieces.

" _Miss_ Potter on the other hand appears to have…developed rather well. Under my…care you will succeed, girl. Full marks." Snape commented. He nodded to Rose and walked back towards his desk.

Rose for her part squeezed Harry's leg under the table hard enough that he winced. "Please tell me he didn't just try to come on to me," she hissed.

"I _hate_ that man. I hate him more than Voldemort," Harry growled in reply. "At least Tom doesn't pretend to be anything other than a monster."

Rose nodded curtly in agreement. She shifted forward and reached for her potion to bottle a portion of the liquid. "I'm going to have to start dumbing down my work here. Dammit, I thought if I showed how good I was now he'd just ignore me entirely."

Her frustrated whisper wasn't quite low enough apparently as Snape's head twisted and he smiled at her. That smile sent shivers down Harry's back and his resolve to avoid lashing out at the man crumbled further.

"And yet, it seems you cannot escape the curse of your brother's arrogance, Miss Potter. It's a shame that your demeanor did not follow your mother as fully as your looks have. She would be disappointed. Detention with me tonight. We shall see if we can cure you of the Potter…influence. Given time I am certain that you can be saved."

Harry immediately lifted his hand from the bench and wrapped it around Rose's, squeezing hard enough to elicit a sharp hiss from his sister. That reaction was infinitely preferable to allowing her to bring her wand to bear. He avoided looking at her, already feeling her glare and knowing that the side of her face would be twitching in fury. "Let. Me. Go!" she snarled in a whisper barely loud enough to reach his ears.

"Not _here_ , Rose," Harry murmured back. "Class ends in five minutes. Bare with it that long and meet me in the Room."

Rose snarled and turned back to her potion to finish taking her sample. As her breathing calmed, Harry let her regain the use of her other hand and she began packaging up the rest of their ingredients. Harry mechanically helped her, his eyes never leaving Snape. The man peered straight back at him and lifted an eyebrow. There was no legilimency probe, but it wasn't needed. Snape's message was received loud and clear.

"Challenge accepted, Severus Snape," Harry muttered too soft for even Rose to hear as she continued to shove their things into their bags. "You will never touch my sister."

A good day? One would have thought that by now Harry Potter would've figured out not to tempt Fate or the Universe.

* * *

"Harry, Ella, you guys do not need to follow me into this stupid detention," Rose grumbled for at least the third time as she threw a few final items into her bag. Gabrielle – who had comfortably draped herself over Harry's lap with a contented sigh – twisted just enough to flick her finger at Rose. A tiny tickle of flame leapt across the space between the two girls and landed on Rose's neck eliciting an indignant yelp. "Hey! Not fair!"

"You get two complaints, and then I start stinging. We've been over this, Rosy."

Harry raised his eyebrows and peered down at the Veela in his lap. "I know I may still be a bit scrambled here Ella, but I think I'd remember if a 'burn' suddenly became a 'sting'. Kinda seems like a bit of a big vocabulary shift there."

"It's barely enough to feel it," Gabrielle said waving his off. "A Veela version of a stinging hex, just slightly hotter."

"My point still stands." Rose said glaring at Gabrielle and planting her hands on her hips. "I can handle Snape. He's a murderous bastard who can hold a grudge like no other, but he's never going to hurt me. I look too much like my mother for him to take that jump."

Harry growled. "No he's just going to try and spell you into being his pet. We're coming, Rose, and that's final. I don't care how good you are. I don't care how well you can take care of yourself now. You are _not_ being left alone near that cockroach."

"Exactly. So stop complaining, get that adorable little arse back into your school robes and let's go!" Gabrielle proclaimed. She swung herself around and pushed to her feet, her grin widening slightly at the soft groan of pleasure from Harry as her own derriere left his lap. Now that she was physically old enough to participate…it felt good to receive full confirmation from her Mate that he found her attractive. A scowl briefly flitted across her face at the reminder that Snape's unexpected detention had already ruined her plans for the evening with her loves. She knew she shouldn't have waited until Friday evening. She should've just come to them in the middle of the week when she finally felt large enough for their coupling to be sweet – and passionate – instead of awkward.

"You both are paranoid," Rose muttered swinging her robe back on over her lounging clothes. "Alright, fine, I'm ready. Are you getting under the Cloak or what?"

Harry levered himself up and took the Invisibility Cloak from the side of the couch. He stepped beside Gabrielle and swept her into his warm embrace as the silvery material fell over the two of them. "Ready," his voice drifted over her and floated out to Rose. Gabrielle breathed in his scent and had to shut her eyes to keep in the murmur of satisfaction.

It just felt so _good_ to _finally_ be with both the twins. Rose was amazing and Harry was her Bonded Mate, but without the other neither had ever felt _whole_ to her. Now…now that they were whole, she could be as well. All they had to do was finish removing their enemies and secure their place in this world.

The walk from the Room of Requirement down to the dungeons was made slowly. Moving with Harry under the Cloak wasn't the simplest thing in the world, though it was made slightly easier by the Disillusionment charm she'd placed on them. While it wasn't strictly necessary, it did help with removing concerns about their feet being seen should the Cloak ride up a bit. In addition, Gabrielle had ensured that a localized silencing bubble was layered over the material. Normally such spell bubbles were stationary, but she'd managed to sort out that particular issue about two years back. How a vision correction ritual experiment had spiraled out into a silencing bubble charm she'd never quite understood…but the results were not something to quibble about!

They slipped into Snape's classroom behind Rose and settled in against the wall between her and Snape. Harry's arms comfortably ensconced her waist and she leaned back against him. She'd need all the comfort he could provide to avoid blasting a hole through this 'man'. After what he done to Hedwig in the original timeline and everything the twins had told her…

Goddess how she wanted to _end_ him!

Harry's arms tightened and Gabrielle shook her head slightly. "Sorry," she murmured. "How could you tell?"

"Don't worry about it, Ella. I feel the same," he replied, his voice a soft whisper against her neck. The silencing bubble was wonderful, but better not to push things if they didn't have to. "Your arms had a bit of down on them. It's gone now."

"Oh." She felt the blood rush to her cheeks and she was suddenly very glad that Harry couldn't quite see her. It had been a long time since she'd lost control of her transformation like that.

"Missus Potter," Snape's drawl cut through the air and Gabrielle's eyes centered onto the Death Eater stepping from his office. "I see you can bear to be separated from your other half for more than a few seconds. Such progress is commendable. Perhaps we will have to have more of these…sessions."

Rose scowled, her eye twitching and her hand drifting towards her wand. "Try me _Professor_. Just because you got away with your murder attempt last year by being Dumbledore's pet doesn't mean _I'm_ letting you off too. If you want me here every other night then, by all means, let's start a little war. I'm willing to bet you aren't ready for the storm that'll come if you try it."

Snape actually laughed at that. His chortle set the hairs on Gabrielle's neck on end. "My dear little Rose, you greatly overestimate your abilities. I will admit that I am surprised James' spawn has survived the Tournament for so long, but he cannot help you down here with me. And I have no intentions of starting a war. No, I merely wish to win a small…personal victory."

Rose's scowl deepened and Gabrielle felt the down spread on her arms again. She was suddenly exceptionally glad to have insisted on following her love to this room. "Let's just get this over with Snape so that I can take a shower and wash the feeling of your eyes off of me. You _do_ know I'm _fourteen_ right?"

Snape didn't even bother to respond as he flicked his wand and the cabinets to Rose's left popped open exposing multitudes of cauldrons. "I was originally intending to have you brew a calming draught for me however as your potioning skills seemed quite developed in class…you shall instead be cleaning the cauldrons I have been utilizing. Without magic of course."

"Of course," Rose answered with her own sneer. Turning to the side she left her bag at the foot of the desk and picked up a brush and disinfectant from the cabinet grabbing her first cauldron.

Gabrielle curled her lip curl into a silent snarl and Harry's arms tightened around her as Snape utilized Rose's position to openly leer at her arse for several seconds. Finally, when Gabrielle had just about neared the end of her patience, he turned back to his desk and removed another cauldron from the lower drawer. It was already filled with a swirling mixture that appeared vaguely familiar, though Gabrielle couldn't quite place it. She shook her head and took several deep breaths attempting to calm down.

As the feathers on her arms began to slowly recede, Snape pulled several vials from the drawer and set them up on the tabletop. He retrieved a few raw ingredients next and carefully added several into the main cauldron. It bubbled and hissed, settling onto a deep purple color with orange flecks floating through it.

Gabrielle narrowed her eyes and focused more intently onto the potion. She _knew_ she'd seen that one in one of her study texts. It was in one of the more advanced ones… _Potions Moste Potent_ maybe? Yes that was the right one. Now what did it do and why was it setting off every warning instinct she had?

"I think he has three or four different Potions up there, right, Ella? A few of those vials aren't just ingredients," Harry murmured.

"Yes, I think you're right." She trailed off, her eyes narrowing and a frown crossing her features. "Harry we need to get closer. I need to smell that one he's finishing brewing."

"Why? Moving closer is a bit risky, Ella."

"…I need to know what that potion is," Gabrielle murmured all of her attention focused on the liquid as the flecks of orange grew larger and Snape's smile spread. Harry laid a hand against her back and gently pushed her forward directing the two of the towards the Professor's desk. The potion discharged a white gas while they were a few feet away. Snape leaned down to smell it and nodded; he brought out an empty vial and filled it. Grabbing two of the others set out on the desk he started to walk around the desk, thankfully to the opposite side of Gabrielle and Harry. Finally she drew close enough to smell the vapor. A single whiff was enough.

" _Devotente_!" she snarled. "And zose are –"

"Loyalty, revulsion and attraction," Harry spat. His arms left her waist and back. Through the bond, Gabrielle could sense his roiling anger reaching a peak she'd only ever felt from him once before – back in the other timeline during the trial.

Gabrielle needed no further encouragement. She harmonized with her Mate and together they ripped off the Invisibility Cloak drawing their wands. Snape had just reached Rose and was leaning down to grab her arm when she and Harry shouted their spells together. Harry launched a bone-breaker followed by a _reducto_ while she shot out an entrails-expelling curse with a rain of fire directly behind it.

The 'Professor' didn't stand a chance. He had a brief moment to widen his eyes at the spells sailing towards him before they impacted. Snape was lifted off his feet and thrown back into the wall of the dungeon, blood and organs spraying in multiple directions with the smell of charred flesh invading their senses.

"What the bloody hell?!" Rose shouted falling onto her arse and staring between her dead would-be-slaver and the shimmering outline of her lovers.

Gabrielle dropped the Disillusionment charm and stalked towards Snape, her wand in one hand and fire flowing over the other. The down on her arms had spread and she knew her face had grown angular as the wings on her back tore through her dress. Harry broke off from her and strode to Rose's side, helping the other girl to her feet. Gabrielle stopped over Snape's body, trying to determine whether she should try a necromancy spell to raise his ghost so she could kill him all over again. "Zat _bâtard_ was going to turn you into a _slave_!"

"Rose, he had a _devotante_ potion and a few others. The loyalty ones were surely keyed to him and the revulsion ones were almost definitely set to me. Combined with the _devotante_ …"

"Sonofafucking – fuck that fucking _fuck_!" Rose yelled pulling her arm out of Harry's grasp and surging to Gabrielle's side. "This greasy fuck was going to force-feed me the liquid equivalent of _Imperio_?! Please tell me he's clinging to life! I want to kill him! I want to twist his – "

"Rose!" Harry shouted wrapping his arms around her midsection and trapping her hands at her sides. "Rose, he's dead already! Now calm the bloody hell down, because we have to deal with this and fast. Dammit, Ella, lock and silence the door. Let's hope nobody heard that racket."

Gabrielle flicked her wand and the spells snapped into place. She took several deep breaths and forced her rage back down. She felt her wings merge back into her shoulders and the down again receded, though the fire bubbling over her fingers stayed. "I can immolate him. Not even ze bones would remain."

"Ella, your accent is back. Breathe and keep breathing," Rose murmured. She shut her eyes and seemed to take her own advice as she stopped struggling against Harry. "Fuck. We are _**so**_ screwed. Well, _I_ am. I can't explain this away and Dumbledore is going to leap to protect the memory of his pet. We just traded one twin being kidnapped and mindwiped for the other."

"Not. Happening," Harry's barely intelligible growl lit a warmth through Gabrielle's chest. He'd go to the ends of the Earth to protect the two of them; just as they had for him.

Rose scowled and twisted around to glare at him. "Well we have enough gossips here that when Snape suddenly pops up missing tomorrow half the bloody school is going to know that I was in detention with him by dinner, Harry! Him disappeared and assumed dead, following so soon after Draco, with me the last one to see him alive? I'm _screwed_. We need to get our stuff and run now. Tonks got almost all of the Horcruxes last time – on her own and with no forewarning. We give her full disclosure on our way out the door, loop Sirius completely into the game and head off to Timbuktu. That's a nice area this time of year, right Ella?"

Gabrielle squeezed her eyes shut and with a strained sigh clenched her fist, dissolving the fire. She turned to fully regard both Potters. "No. We stay. We resolved to finish this the right way if we could and besides, we still need to deal with Umbridge and Fudge. We have made inroads with Daphne and she has proven her worth. Not to mention Harry potentially losing his magic if he completely skips the Third Task."

"Greengrass is good, Ella, but she's not _that_ good. I think Rose is right. We shouldn't have reacted like that. I lost my cool and I let you lose yours," Harry sighed. He let his arms fall to his side and shook his head though the grimace he directed at Snape's corpse had more than a fair share of disgust bleeding into it. "We're going to have to pay for it. I can deal with being a Muggle after missing the Task. I already lived as one anyway right?"

"No," Gabrielle replied with a sigh. "We don't have to resort to that. I can appear as Snape for a few hours in the morning. It will be more than enough to shift suspicion from Rose. A few careful implications from Daphne that she saw Snape 'hurrying towards the Castle gates' and Dumbledore can infer that the two-faced _fils de chien_ was called by Voldemort. His death will be blamed on the madman from the Light's side while the Dark blames it either on Dumbledore on Snape finally turning coward. As long as we destroy his body, the truth and the evidence will never be found."

Rose scowled and shook her head, hair whipping to the side with the violence of the movement. "Maybe if you two hadn't killed him with four lethal spells at once that would've been a good plan," she spat. "Polyjuice doesn't work if the target is dead."

"Says the girl who was just going on about tearing his colon out through his arse," Harry muttered.

"I never said that!"

"You were _going_ to," Harry replied with a raised eyebrow. Rose opened her mouth to retort, but closed it a second later with a resigned nod.

Gabrielle arched an eyebrow at the other girl and deliberately flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder. "Rosy, darling," she said throwing on the elaborate French posh accent for effect, "you lived with me for a decade, dear. Haven't you learned yet that Veela are…skilled at ze arts of illusion?"

Harry frowned and glanced between Snape and Gabrielle. "You can charm yourself a disguise good enough to fool Dumbledore without using Polyjuice?"

"Well, no, I'm not _that_ good," Gabrielle said dropping her accent and grimacing. "Perhaps if we had stayed in school, then maybe, but even then it's unlikely. We get a natural boost to the illusion charms and such through our heritage and I'm confident I can get his voice and mannerisms right for a short while. It doesn't have to be perfect; it just needs to be good enough. We only need him to put in a brief appearance in the morning and Rose is in the clear."

"Dumbledore isn't going to be fooled by that," Harry said slowly. "I appreciate the idea, Ella, but I don't think that would work. Whoever pretends to be Snape needs to have it hold up long enough under the Headmaster's nose for most of breakfast. It's a Saturday tomorrow so we might get lucky, but we still need Snape to at least pretend to interact with Dumbledore…"

"Tonks," Rose whispered. She sat down in a nearby chair and hung her head. "If you both are determined to stay and finish out this craptastic year, we need to get Tonks here immediately. I don't think Dumbledore's alert network covers the secret passages so if she comes up through Honeydukes she can be inside without him suspecting. She's a metamorph; that's better than polyjuice."

Harry frowned, moving to sit down in the chair next to Rose. He looked between the two girls before replying, "I'm not sure I'm comfortable bringing Tonks in _this_ far. We just _murdered_ Snape, Rose. Murdered. Yes he had liquid _imperio_. But he hadn't actually used it yet. We killed him four times over. Tonks isn't going to just turn a blind eye to that. We can't expect her to and it's not fair to ask her to do it."

"We plan on murdering Umbridge and Fudge too, Harry. And those are going to be worse because it's premeditated." Rose shrugged continuing on, "Look, you weren't there. Tonks has always had our backs. She helped us look for you. She protected me from the rest of the Wizarding World. She told us about the Horcruxes; she told us long before when Dumbledore finally thought _she_ was 'ready to hear it'."

Gabrielle cut in muttering, "Only once he was already dying. Good thing she'd already taken out most by then."

Rose ignored Gabrielle and continued, holding up a fourth finger. "She tipped us off about you being mind-wiped, she told us about the Prophecy, she died fighting Voldemort and wounded him badly enough in the process that he had to lay low for an entire year while he recovered. We can _trust_ her. You saw how she reacted when we told her about _us_ and about the time travel thing."

Harry's frown had lessened but did not disappear entirely by the time Rose had finished. He looked ready to speak again so Gabrielle jumped in instead. "Rose, tell him the rest."

"The rest?" Harry asked, his eyes narrowed.

Rose clutched her right arm and pulled her legs up to her chest. Gabrielle went to the back of the chair and laid a soft touch on Rose's shoulder, her other hand massaging the redhead's neck. "I told you in Grimmauld before the trial that I'd probably go back to Privet Drive if it went bad remember? Well, it went bad. Really, fucking bad, Harry. By the time I got back to Grimmauld half the household thought that what they were doing to you was right. The other half thought you should just be in Azkaban. I fought a few and wound up with just Sirius and Tonks on my side. Hermione too, I guess, but she was busy dealing with her own grief about losing you – once word came back that you were 'dead'. Sirius lost it and went to kill Umbridge, but…it was trap. She expected _me_ to lose it. She was perfectly happy though to have finally captured and killed the 'mass-murderer Sirius Black'. Big bonny in her hat that was."

Rose took a shuddering breath and leaned back into Gabrielle's hands more fully though she kept her gaze on the floor. "I didn't feel safe in the house anymore. I went back to the Dursleys. That was a mistake. When Vernon saw it was just me…He didn't wait long. Didn't even bother getting Petunia out of the house either. She knew exactly what he was doing when he slammed open my door with Dudley in tow and their flies undone. I snapped, Harry. You wanted to know when I became violent and mean and ready to curse first, ask questions later? It was that moment. That moment when I cut off Vernon's cock with a wandless severing curse, when I snapped Dudley's neck by launching him into the wall, when I blew out Vernon's chest since he just. Wouldn't. Stay. _Down_!"

Tears were falling down her cheeks though her mouth was set into a thin line. Harry shifted forward obviously intending to hold her, but Gabrielle subtly shook her head and waved him off. Frowning, Harry carefully settled back into his seat. Rose took a shaking breath and continued her story. "I walked downstairs and summoned my wand. It shot out of our cupboard hard enough to leave a hole in the paneling. I looked Petunia in the eyes and told her to tell our mother just why I was sending her for an early meeting. Then I shot a _depulso_ into her torso. Her back crunched as she folded against the kitchen countertop. I set a fire after that. Figured if I could make it look like a Death Eater attack nobody would bother to look into the deaths of three _muggles_. Forgot about the 'guard' entirely though."

Harry drew a sharp breath. "Tonks?"

"Sorta. It was supposed to be Dung." Rose's scowl was impressive enough one would've been forgiven for thinking Snape had taught her. "How he still had the bloody responsibility after fucking up with the Dementors I don't know, but Dumbledore let him try to 'redeem himself' I guess. Thankfully for me, he was gone – yet again – while I was on my killing spree. Tonks showed up to relieve him and caught me walking out of the flames with a smile on my face. I didn't even try to hide it. You know what she did? She sat me down on the curb, walked back inside, cast a few spells at random walls, roughed up the bodies a bit, came back out, took my wand and cast random fighting spells with it for a few minutes, then handed it back to me and Apparated us to her place. I stayed there the rest of the summer."

"My god, Rosy, I know you told me before you had killed them, but…Rosy I, I'm so sorry. I should've been there and I…" Harry pulled his legs up to his chest and laid his head down on them as well.

Gabrielle growled and reached over to lightly slap the two twins on each of their heads. "Both of you stop being miserable about the past! It 'appened, it was 'orrible, it will _not_ be happening again. Now, pull yourselves together. Rose, send a Patronus message to Tonks telling her we need her immediately and to use one of the secret passages. Harry, clean up the potions and move the desks back. I will deal with the body. We have less than an hour before this detention is up so we must work quickly. Chop, chop loves!"

Harry and Rose raised their heads and glanced at each other before gazing as one at Gabrielle. They turned back to each other and as one started to shake and laugh. Though the laughter was slightly manic and there were too many tears for it to be full amusement, Gabrielle was satisfied. Neither was catatonic and neither was fully regressing. It was enough for now.

* * *

A soft knock followed by two short ones then two more long ones sounded on the door to the classroom a few minutes later. The trio's heads turned to center on the door and, after a beat, two more knocks sounded. Rose smiled faintly and waved her wand at the door, a click sounding as the locking spell disengaged. The door quickly swung open and seemingly closed on its own a moment after. The faint shimmer in the air resting in front of the door resolved almost immediately into Tonks.

"Wotcher, all. Now, what's this about an emergency and to come all silent-like?" the metamorph asked casting a critical gaze around the room. "Fight in here…Snape gave you trouble I'm guessing? Where is the jerk then? I'm guessing you want me to memory-charm him? That's kinda a big order guys. Snape's Occlumency is strong and I don't know if I'm that good. Or if I even should. He's a biased bastard, but that doesn't really give us the right to duel him and wipe his memories of kicking his arse."

Harry chuckled at Tonks' idea of the situation. He could hear the undercurrent of frustration, exhaustion and carefully controlled fear in the slight warble. It matched the laugh he used to have when he'd calmly discuss methods of dealing with Vernon before they ever even knew about Hogwarts. "Hey, Tonks. First, how did you already pick up that there was a fight? We've been cleaning up and I thought we were basically done. Second, you know shave-and-a-haircut?"

Tonks snorted and waved him off. "Please, I've seen Roger Rabbit, Harry. As to the fight, lots of stuff. Snape is more careful with his ingredients – all of their labels should be pointed out towards the center of the room. That desk has a small scorch on the corner – potion scorches would be in the center where a cauldron would be setup. There's a scuff on a floor from where that other desk was moved – again not something that Snape would ever do himself. Then of course there's the three of you basically telling me to pretend I'm a spy while coming here. Fairly easy to figure out, kid."

"Ah, damn." Harry grimaced and turned to the others waving Rose to start sorting out what Tonks had pointed out. "Guess it was a good idea to call an Auror. Tonks, thank you for coming. We'll tell you what happened and why we called, but we need you to know first off that you don't have to stick around if you're not comfortable with it. We'll find another way."

"Another way for what?" Tonks asked slowly her eyes narrowing. "Where is Snape, Harry?"

"He is here," Gabrielle said lifting a bag and shaking it slightly. "What is left of him at least."

Tonks stared at the bag for almost ten seconds without making any other movement while Rose continued her cleaning and Harry and Gabrielle just waited for a reaction. Their patience was finally rewarded as Tonks turned her slitted-gaze from the bag to Harry. "Harry," she said in a voice barely above a whisper yet which nonetheless carried easily through the entire room, "explain."

"Snape gave Rose detention this morning," Harry said with a sigh as he dropped into a nearby chair. Rose finished fixing the problem areas and sat down next to him grabbing his hand and squeezing. "Of course that was after he spent nearly ten minutes ogling her and making every comment about her into a double entendre – most of them settling into talk about how she could take her mother's place as his exultant little whore."

"So you followed her down here, not trusting him to keep his hands to himself," Tonks stated. There was no questioning in her tone and Harry nodded. She really did know them fairly well it seemed.

"Yeah, Gabrielle and I insisted. We were under the Cloak so he didn't know we were here."

"He was an idiot," Tonks said frowning. "He basically came onto a fourteen year old girl in the middle of class with her known-to-be-violently-protective brother right beside her and he expected her to show up alone?"

Gabrielle scoffed, shaking her head and smirking. "Severus Snape may have been skilled at playing two masters against each other, but he was never a _smart_ man – merely a _competent_ one. There is a big difference."

Tonks gave a curt nod. "Moody would agree with you. Continue."

Harry picked up where he'd left off. "Snape finished brewing a potion while Rose was cleaning. Gabrielle and I looked closer and found a nice little horde of potions he was intending to force-feed her."

"Name them."

Gabrielle picked up and started to rattle off the names. "Revulsion, Loyalty, _confundus potentate_ , _intelligentia reducere_ , Submission and _devotante_."

Tonks' eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared while her lips curled into a silent snarl. "He had _what_?"

"Now you see why he is ashes instead of awaiting a memory reset," Gabrielle said grinning evilly.

Harry just sighed and swung his free hand towards the room as a whole. "Neither of us reacted well to that and since had the _devotante_ in hand as he was walking up to her…Well we kinda just stopped him; with extreme prejudice."

Tonks shut her eyes and took several deep breaths. Her hands clenched into fists momentarily before unclenching. Her hair shifted from the blue she'd walked in with to a deep black. "Did he survive the first round of spells?"

"No," Harry said shaking his head.

Tonks stayed quiet for nearly a minute after that. Harry started to fidget until Rose squeezed his hand again quieting his movements down. Gabrielle finally took her own seat near the twins while all three waited for Tonks to finish thinking. Finally, the metamorph looked up at them focusing on each in turn before settling on Harry. "You three killed Draco too didn't you?"

"He tried to blackmail Gabrielle and implied that he was going to use his father's connections to make her into his personal sex toy. His actions from the last time around in less than a year showed had no problems following through on the threat."

"How many more people are going to be targeted by you all before your revenge is done?" Tonks asked. Her tone was carefully modulated so that no emotion slipped through it and her form stayed entirely stable.

Harry sighed. "Honestly, we're _trying_ to keep the body count down. The only ones left who are definitely on the list, besides the Death Eaters, are Umbridge and Fudge. And I'm fairly certain you'd agree with us that Umbridge is almost _worse_ than Death Eaters in a way."

"Actually I do, but I swore to upload the laws of our land too," Tonks murmured. She leaned back, resting on the wall and squeezing the bridge of her nose. "Dammit. This is basically self-defense though between the reactions of Dumbledore and Fudge all three of you would be in Azkaban before sunrise if word got out. Draco was obviously premeditated, but I can't really find it in me to care since I know he was essentially Lucius Jr. in attitude and intentions. Umbridge needs to be dealt with; I'd agree with you there too that she deserves death instead of prison, but…Oh bloody fucking hell."

Tonks wiped a hand down her face and started to pace about the room. She glanced up and focused in on Harry. "How long until the detention is supposed to end?"

"About 15 more minutes."

"Okay. Okay," Tonks muttered. She paced the back of the room enough to nearly leave a rut before stopping abruptly and twisting on her heel to face the seated trio. "I have conditions."

"Name them," Harry responded immediately.

"No targeting anyone else without consulting me first."

Rose shook her head. "Except Umbridge and Fudge. They're dying no matter what you say or do. I don't want to hurt you Tonks, but I _will_ be killing both of them. They bound Harry's magic, wiped his mind and pretended they killed him for a decade. I am making them suffer and I am wiping their pathetic, shit-stained souls from this plane of existence and I will cut through anyone who stands in my way and – "

"Rose!" Harry snapped.

His sister's mouth slammed shut and she took a deep breath. "Sorry," she murmured. "I still get riled over them. Every damn time I get riled."

"I understand," Tonks replied. "Okay, you can take out Fudge and Umbridge, but if you even think about going after anybody else I want notice and consultation."

"Death Eaters included?" Gabrielle asked, an innocent tone doing nothing to hide the eagerness in her voice.

Tonks snorted. "No. Feel free to kill any Death Eater you see as long as you can get away with it. Hell Mad-Eye does it when he knows that Madame Bones will look the other way and I'd be doing the same if my cases weren't regularly reviewed due to my newbie status."

"What're your other conditions?" Harry asked.

"Two, innocents stay out of the crossfire," she said holding up a second finger.

"That's the plan," Harry agreed.

"Third and last," Tonks said sighing. "You guys needs to sort yourselves out. Therapy, potions, staying out of the public eye; I don't care what. You need to do _something_ though. You're all broken and damaged and you can't keep living like this. It is _not_ a normal response to burn a professor to ashes and gleefully smile at his remains."

Gabrielle shrugged. "It's not normal to travel through time either, yet we accomplished that too." She chuckled and held up a hand when Tonks looked ready to start arguing. "I jest, I jest. We know we're damaged. We're slowly adjusting more as we realize that our circle of friends is wider than just each other. We are getting better and once this year is done and we can reasonably take our O.W.L.s, we will retire from the public eye and hire Greengrass as a permanent Public Relations specialist for us. There will no more incidents from our end if we can help it."

Rose nodded. She locked onto Tonks' eyes, her expression softening into something not quite pleading, but teetering on the knife-edge. "All we want is to be left alone, Dora. That's it. We want to be a _family_. Once we finish crossing out the list of people who will never let that happen, then we'll retire and live out our lives in peace."

Tonks held Rose's gaze for several long seconds before finally nodding herself. "Okay. I can live with that. What do you need me to do?"

* * *

"Good morning, Severus," Albus Dumbledore greeted his friend as he sat down at the staff table for breakfast. It seemed to be just the two men and Pomona Sprout this morning.

"Albus," Snape responded with the barest of nods. He looked steadfastly at his food and continued to eat, his pace hurried though not rushed.

Dumbledore ran his gaze over the few students in attendance at the morning feast. The number was small, as usual for a Saturday. "I hear that you had detention with Miss Potter last evening. How did that go if I may ask?"

Sprout grunted and turned her head to glare at Snape. "Thoroughly miserably from what I heard. I overheard the Prefects this morning saying how the poor girl returned to the Common Room last night utterly dejected and rubbing at her hands."

"Considering you were verbally berating her when not completely ignoring her just a few weeks back, I fail to see why you are concerned, Pomona," Snape responded with a sneer. He turned back to his food and finished off the last of it. "Besides, I don't see what she was so upset about. I only had her cleaning cauldrons by hand. I was far too distracted with my own issues to bother dealing with Potter's problems."

"What sort of issues, Severus?" Dumbledore asked frowning.

Snape cast a glance towards Dumbledore, scowling. "It darkens. I am sure you understand I have greater concerns than a teenage girl with anxiety issues, Albus. Now if you will excuse me, I have business to attend to before I am…called away."

Dumbledore felt his heart begin to hammer against his chest and sucked in an involuntary breath. He clenched his silverware tighter and reached out to clasp Snape's arm before the man could leave the Great Hall. "Is that…is that _likely_ , Severus? I had hoped we would have more time."

"I imagine I will be leaving on short notice soon. You…most likely have time to continue your own preparations. This felt personal."

"Perhaps you should not respond then…" Dumbledore said slowly dropping his gaze to the floor.

"And ruin the past ten years? I have not spent this time dealing with these dunderhead students to cast it all aside at the last moment. I will proceed as I must. Good day." Snape pulled free of Dumbledore's grip and stalked from the room, his cloak – for once – not billowing behind him.

Sprout frowned looking between the two men as Snape left. "What were you two talking about?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Events seem to have been set in motion, Pomona. I can only hope that we are prepared for them when the storm arrives." He pushed his plate to the side and stared down at the table with clasped hands, his appetite having vanished. If Voldemort was _personally_ calling Severus to him then…either Peter had failed him or Dumbledore may never see his friend again. Severus was good at surviving, but one day his manner was likely to aggravate the wrong person and not even Severus was good enough to get away from a vengeful Dark Lord.

* * *

French Translation:

 ***After all** _ **, votre diplôme de maître de potions a moins de valeur que le parchemin sur lequel il est écrit et ne vous rend certainement pas qualifié pour enseigner**_ **. =** **Your potion master diploma has less value than the parchment on which it was written and it certainly doesn't make you qualified to teach.** *

***** _**C'est ça, retourne dans le trou dont tu es sorti, bâtard! =** _ **That's right, go back to whatever hole from which you came from, bastard!***

*** _fils de chien_ = son of a dog (insulting the father as well rather than the mother like 'son of a bitch' does)***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sub AN: Did I do my own little reference/shout-out to Boondock Saints? Yes I did. Such a versatile little word there…Maybe Rose was not quite as successful as Rocco, but she gets points for trying!
> 
> Fanfic Rec: 'Sticky Situations at Shell Cottage' by Elven Sorcerer. This is a Harry/Fleur that starts off somewhat canon. Harry fights with Ginny and ends up staying with Bill/Fleur for a few days. Fleur on the other hand is unsatisfied with Bill's puritanical views with sex. Obvious consequences ensue though surprisingly not immediately and with a fair amount of drama/angst. While definitely a mature read, there's a healthy amount of plot in the fic and it's well written with most of the characters staying fairly true to canon.


	9. Hearts On Display

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Again, thanks to my beta, Grey Raven 09. His help was instrumental in improving this segment. I'm very happy with how this chapter turned out so please let me know what you think! A lot of characters here go in very different directions than my usual flare. Their surface actions may be somewhat similar, but the mentality is totally different and I finally get to truly show that off.

**Chapter 9: Hearts On Display**

"Gabrielle?" Gabrielle looked up and turned her head to center in on Fleur as her sister's voice intruded onto her morning ritual with her Mates. Closing her eyes briefly and suppressing her grunt of annoyance Gabrielle grinned up at Fleur as the girl walked closer. "Would you like to go for a walk around ze Lake with me zis morning?"

Gabrielle almost said no. It was a close thing. Her mouth had actually already started to open and form the denial when she felt Harry lightly kick her under the table. She narrowed her eyes at him to which he simply grinned and winked back. Biting back a scathing French retort at her impossible Mate, Gabrielle turned back to Fleur and nodded. "Of course! Shall we go after ze meal?"

"I zought you were done," Fleur asked frowning as she looked down at Gabrielle's plate.

Gabrielle did sigh this time. Sure, she had finished eating almost five minutes ago, but Rose was still eating and Harry was actually having a very nice chat with Susan. She had so few excuses to spend any real time with the twins for the moment that every second was precious. Fleur had never had a true boyfriend before – let alone a Mate – of course her sister wouldn't understand.

"Gabi _is_ done," Rose said giving the Veela a friendly shove. "Go on. We'll catch up tonight." Gabrielle frowned at Rose. Finally she shook her head and stood. Rose was right, if everything went well then she and the Potters would have decades together. Perhaps, she could spare a few minutes to try and keep Fleur in her life this time around too.

"I was letting it…hmm, what is ze English phrase…settle. As long as we don't run like we used to." Gabrielle stood and gestured for Fleur to lead the way from the Great Hall, trailing along in her wake.

They proceeded in awkward silence until they were nearly a quarter of the way around the Black Lake and well away from any potential unwitting eavesdroppers. It was…surprisingly nice, just walking with her sister. Gabrielle had gotten so used to being angry with her family throughout the years that she had almost forgotten what it was like to just hang out with them. The past few weeks had helped her to start seeing the other Delacours as family again – instead of frustrating relatives – but years of mutual distrust didn't vanish overnight. Well, it didn't for Gabrielle at least.

"Gabrielle," Fleur started hesitantly, "I know you have been speaking English more and more recently, but I would like to speak in our native tongue. I do not wish for zere to be misunderstandings."

"Zat is not a good way to start zis, sister," Gabrielle said shaking her head. "Please, speak in English. We can shift if we must, but we both should practice." Another week or two and she could give up that little charade at least. Her English had 'improved' by leaps and bounds after all. Perhaps she'd even be able to stop exaggerating the accent by the summer's end. That would be simply amazing; remembering the correct accents and missed consonants was exhausting.

Fleur grunted though she did nod her consent afterwards. "Very well. Gabi, please do not take zis ze wrong way, but I must ask: zere are rumors zat you are Bonded with one of ze Potters. Is zis true?"

"Does my answer matter to you or have you already decided your opinion of things?" Gabrielle asked, frost creeping into her tone.

Fleur scowled. "Zis is why I wanted to use French. I am not judging, Gabi. I am trying to understand why my sister has vanished! When you came to zis horrid country to watch me in ze Tournament it was all I could do to get you to stay with Maman and Papa for a few minutes at a time. I barely had enough time to shower before you were back begging me to show you more or trying to help in my training."

Gabrielle frowned. That period was a distant memory to her. Had she ever really been that young? It seemed like a dream.

"When you came out of zat lake," Fleur continued gesturing wildly to the water nearby, "you were like a completely different person. You were still my little sister, but you haven't asked to sit in on any of my sessions since zat day. You haven't been hanging onto me. When Maman and Papa left to go home you didn't beg to stay simply because I was here. I…Gabrielle, I am just trying to understand. You are not ze same and it scares me a little. Is it because of me? Is it because I didn't save you? I…I'll understand if…I mean I'd hoped zat…but I _will_ understand if you've…if you've Bonded with the Potters. I will, I mean, I do. It scares me, because you are still so young, but I can understand. I wasn't good enough, I wasn't fast enough, I wasn't strong enough to save you and he was…I just need to know. _Please_."

Gabrielle's feet felt like lead and her stomach flipped as she stared at her sister. Fleur's gaze was locked on the ground, pain etched along every line in her face and every taunt muscle in her shoulder and arms. If Fleur had inherited more of their grandmother's legacy there might well have been feathers sprouting. Fleur had never been as much of a Veela as Gabrielle though. Neither had Maman for that matter. Perhaps – just perhaps – that was why neither had been able to understand when Gabrielle originally told them she was moving to England to support the Potters. She'd never outright told them about the Bond before and they hadn't been Veela enough to guess it was the cause for her obsession. But now, with her spending so little time with her family, what other conclusion could Fleur come to? Fleur always was observant.

"It isn't anything that you did or didn't do, Fleur," Gabrielle said softly. She laid a hand on her sister's arm before leaning over and hugging her hard. It was an odd feeling, being as tall as Fleur. They'd never actually hugged before, not after Gabrielle had gone through the Change. This was…nice. "You did everything you could in a challenge weighted against you. I don't and never have blamed you for what occurred. Yes, Harry is my hero, but that does not mean that you are not still my hero as well. You're my sister. We don't always agree and we don't always get along, but you're still my sister."

"Your accent has changed," Fleur murmured into Gabrielle's shoulder. Gabrielle stiffened and mentally cursed. Stupid language. Stupid time travel. "You _are_ Bonded to zem. Ze language lessons are an excuse. A poor excuse if you keep slipping like zis."

"Guilty as charged," Gabrielle said. If Fleur was going to assume that her grasp of English was increased due to the Bond she'd let her. It was safer than the alternative. She really didn't want to have to explain how she'd risked destroying the world to save Harry and help put Rose back together.

"Which one?"

"Which one what?"

Fleur chuckled into Gabrielle's shoulder. She pulled back and grinned, it didn't fully reach her eyes, but it came closer than Gabrielle would've expected. "Which twin are you Bonded to?"

"I don't know that it really makes much difference which of them I'm bound to." Gabrielle paused taking a breath before continuing. "Harry and Rose are very much alike and very rarely apart. They are – for lack of a better word – fluid. Being Bonded to one is the same as being Bonded to the other, Fleur. As far as I am concerned, I do not have one Mate. I don't even have two. I have one Mate in two bodies. The specific magic involved can go jump off zat tower for all I care. I am together with both Harry Potter and Rose Potter. Is that a problem?"

Fleur held up her hands and shook her head, her smile widening; this time the sentiment was actually reflected in her eyes. "Peace, Gabi. Zat is not the sort of relationship I would have chosen, but I am not you and you not so little anymore. You can choose your own Mates; far be it for me to interfere. Have you told Maman and Papa?"

"No. And I do not intend to."

"You should," Fleur said raising an eyebrow.

Gabrielle scowled. "Who I am Bonded to is my business and mine alone. If I choose to tell someone it is my choice. Maman should have recognized the signs and Papa has lived with Veela long enough to have a good clue as well. If neither cared enough to notice zat is their problem. If they ask I will tell them, but I will not volunteer ze information!"

Fleur grimaced. "I suppose zat I can understand zat feeling. I don't agree wiz it, but as I just said, you are old enough to make your own decisions."

"Thank you, Fleur." Gabrielle blinked rapidly, turning her gaze away from her sister. She hadn't expected this talk to go well and yet, amazingly enough, it seemed her sister was actually willing to _listen_ to her this time around.

What a difference a foot and a half made in being taken seriously.

"What are sisters for if not to support each other?" Fleur asked grinning and teasingly patting Gabrielle's head. Gabrielle rolled her eyes and brushed Fleur's hand away. "Come, let's head back. I am sure you are eager to get back to your twins little one."

"Don't call me little! I am _not small_ anymore!" Gabrielle shouted as Fleur laughed and started running back to the castle, rightly fleeing the fury of Gabrielle.

* * *

Rose kneaded her aching forehead as she listened to her study group's pleas. Dropping her hand she stared at Susan. "Tell me again why you guys want us to teach you the Patronus charm. Slowly this time, and please, without the rambling."

Susan rolled her eyes while Neville chuckled besides her. "During the summer break, I asked Aunt Amy about the charm – you know because of all the crazy close calls with Dementors we had to worry about last year. She said I was too young to learn such a complex spell – despite you both having gotten the hang of it already!"

Hermione nodded. "After Susan mentioned the Dementors again once we heard about the Tournament, I started thinking and got a little worried so I did some research – "

"And saw there were Dementors used in the final task for a few Tournaments throughout the centuries!" Susan finished with a scowl. "My Aunt won't tell me if there are any in this one, but it seems better to be safe rather than sorry Rose."

Hermione glared at Susan for a moment for interrupting her before shaking her head in exasperation and finishing her thought. "I agree entirely. The historical reports have several references to Dementors. Since none of us can cast the charm, it would be most prudent to learn it."

"I'm with them," Justin said hitching a thumb at his friends. "Those Dementors last year weren't a laughing matter, mate."

"You know it's just Harry in the maze right?" Rose asked sighing. "Even if there is a Dementor it's not like you can help from the stands."

"Since when has Bagman cared about the safety of the spectators?" Susan scoffed. "Dragons ring a bell for anyone?! I for one want to be prepared; I am not ready to have my soul eaten by a glorified skeleton with a creepy hood when it all goes to hell."

Rose heard Harry chuckling under his breath, his hand over his mouth covering it from the others. The two of them had the benefit of hindsight and knew that there wasn't a Dementor in the maze, but they couldn't exactly tell the others that. And besides, they _did_ have a point: learning the Patronus charm had no real downsides.

"Okay, fine. I'll help you guys learn it."

"Why not Harry? Isn't he better at it?" Hermione asked looking over to said boy.

Harry just shrugged. "Rose is just as good as me on that one. It doesn't take a lot of power if you're doing it right, just happy memories. It doesn't even really need a _memory_ ; the emotion itself is really what makes the charm work."

"Love works too," Rose murmured too soft for anyone but her twin to hear. She reached blindly behind her and Harry briefly squeezed her hand.

A cleared throat from the closing door to the Room of Requirement had all eyes turning towards Gabrielle and Rose quickly let Harry's grip slide away. "Do not forget zat 'Arry is still practicing for ze Task himself."

"True, true," Susan replied nodding. "Glad you could make it, Gabrielle. Are you joining us for the Patronus practice?"

"Zat is one I know already. Maman and Papa were very quick to teach it to me when I insisted on coming to zis country. We do not 'ave zese creatures in France and zey wished to ensure my protection should ze worst 'appen," Gabrielle said weaving her story. Rose nodded along. It was an impressive fabrication for a moment's notice.

Justin grunted and hung his head. "I wish my parents were that cool," he muttered.

"Aren't your parents Muggles?" Neville asked.

"Yeeeaaaahhhh they are…" Justin said with a heavy sigh. The rest of the room just laughed at his antics.

Rose let the cheer last for a minute before gesturing everyone to pay attention. "Alright, guys, so there's basically three levels of the Patronus charm. The first is a whitish mist. It'll work, but it's not strong so it won't last long or hold up against multiple Dementors. The second is more of a shield. That's stronger, but again it won't really last if there are more than one Dementor around. The last is a fully corporeal creature. One fun thing about the corporeal version is that it's self-sustaining once formed and doesn't require any additional effort. It's strong and will only really fail if there's a _lot_ of Dementors."

Gabrielle held up a finger and cut in. "It is also useful for communication purposes if you know ze correct addition to the spell. I do not recommend zis for beginners zough as I-my fazzer has mentioned zat ze normal Dementor repelling version is unusable while ze communication is en route."

Susan squared her shoulders and nodded. "I'm aiming for a shield before the task. I know it's ridiculously hard to get the hang of things at first, but once we have some success it's a lot simpler afterwards; right?"

Harry shrugged. "Rose and I jumped right from mist to corporeal in a day or two. It took us a really long time to get to the mist though."

Hermione quickly looked away and brushed at her eyes while Susan frowned, but held her tongue. Neville frowned and Justin grunted. Rose's friends' reactions brushed over her with more impact than she ever would've felt in the past. They had had so many allies originally without even knowing it…

Though Susan and Justin had both gone to France before the trial ever happened and Hermione was convinced that Harry had actually been dead so really, did they actually count as allies at that point? No, best not to think about those dark years anymore. It was in the past, Harry was back, Ella was still by her side, Tonks and Sirius were alive, they were progressing well on their revenge, and everything was going to end well. It was going to be fine. There was no need to think about the future-past.

Shaking her head, Rose stood up straighter and recentered onto the people assembled in front of her as Gabrielle moved to her side. "This is what a complete Patronus looks like." She raised her wand in front of her and focused on the feeling she had when Harry was wrapped around her back and Ella was pressed against her front. Eyes closed, mouth smiling, Rose murmured, " _Expecto Patronum_. " A blazing silver jackal leapt out of her wand and landed on the ground in front of her. It turned sniffing the air for a moment before bounding around the edges of the room.

The study group gawked at her Patronus while Harry moved up next to her. "It's changed," he whispered. "You were a butterfly before…"

"Yeah," she replied under her breath and consciously holding back from reaching out to touch him. "Don't know when…wasn't able to summon one after everything…did you know that they like to live in ruins and abandoned cities?…It's kinda like how I felt until Ella pulled me back together. Been a jackal ever since."

"No, I didn't know that about jackals," Harry said. His voice was thick and it was all Rose could do to avoid hugging him. Thankfully Gabrielle didn't have to be as controlled. The Veela moved to embrace Harry, kissing his cheek and whispering in his ear. As she pulled back, Harry's face brightened into a large smile. He nodded and raised his wand along with Gabrielle. Both murmured the incantation as well and a large snake and a robin burst forth swiftly joining Rose's jackal in their perimeter patrol.

Gabrielle linked her arm through Rose's as the rest of the group moved towards the three glowing creatures reaching out to try and run their hands along the sides of the animals. "The robin is _me_ ," Gabrielle murmured.

Harry nodded, leaning over to whisper to Gabrielle before turning to Rose. "And mine's changed to a taipan now. I'd recognize that snake anywhere after what happened in uni. All of our Patroni are us in some way."

"Yes, they are," Rose replied softly. She let her wand fall and wrapped her arms around her two loves.

Perhaps, now that they were all together and whole, her Patronus would soon end up changing yet again.

* * *

After the study group training, the troupe made it down to dinner and went their separate ways. Neville and Hermione headed to the Gryffindor table while Susan and Justin sat next to Hannah with the Hufflepuffs. As per their usual, Harry and Rose sat together near the end of their House's table while this time Gabrielle chose to plop down next to Rose.

The meal started off fairly quietly – at least as quietly as a Hogwarts meal could go. The typical gossip about Snape's continued absence, Lucius Malfoy's tree shaking with his son's death, speculation about the Third Task…all very generic and humdrum. Rose let the medley wash over her as she ate. It wasn't important and it wasn't worth paying attention to.

That changed the moment that Ronald Weasley stood and came over to stand behind them, one hand on his wand, the other clenched into a fist at his side and a fierce glare boring a hole into Rose's back. Years of living with the Dursleys and then more years living essentially hotel-to-hotel, night-to-night, had left her hyper-aware of anyone staring at her from behind. She considered fingering her wand, but decided to let Weasley make the first move. He was a jerk, but he had never actively done anything against her or Harry before besides hurling insults.

"Oi, what do you have to say for yourselves?" the redhead demanded. Rose let her eyebrows raise at that approach yet continued eating, refusing to give him the satisfaction of acknowledgement. Harry did the same. Across the table several of their Housemates had started looking on in confusion. "Hey, I'm talking to you!"

Harry twisted slightly and pointed a finger at his chest frowning. "I'm sorry, are you talking to us?"

"Of course I'm talking to you!" Rose angled her spoon enough to catch a glimpse of Weasley and snorted into her milk as she saw his face starting to turn red.

"Well, maybe lead with that next time instead of just starting to shout while our backs are turned," Harry stated. He swung around fully and planted his feet on the floor. "So, what have we supposedly done this time, Ron?"

"You can start by explaining why you're shagging your bloody sister you screwed up tosser!" Ron shouted.

It was like a cannon had shot off inside the Great Hall. All noise stopped and several forks froze in mid movement. Harry had gone as still as a statue while Rose slowly turned to face Weasley, her fury at this idiot proclaiming that _here_ and _now_ of all places was enough to leave her body practically vibrating from the force of holding it back.

" _Excuse me_?" Rose whispered, her voice seeming to echo through the Hall. Rose barely noticed Daphne shaking her head and flashing a brief signal to cut off. Daphne and her political strategy could go hang for all she cared at the moment.

"I know I don't work in classes, but I'm not stupid, Potter," Weasley snarled. "You're barely ever apart, you're always looking around for each other, you're generally close enough to touch if you shift just a bit to the side, he terrorizes anyone who looks at you wrong – well he used to – and you've started to quietly destroy anyone who insults him! When the picky unicorn refused to go near you I knew what was going on. Fess up! Where do either of you freaks get off with thinking it's okay to shag your sibling?! Brothers _protect_ their sisters; they _don't_ fuck them! My dad told me about the Carrows and what they do together and they're just as evil as You-Know-Who!"

Rose snarled though before she could grab for her wand to curse the buffoon a silver blur had already started moving. She barely had enough time to shout, "Ella!" before Gabrielle had landed a punch knocking Ron to the ground. The only reason that she didn't follow him down was Harry had wrapped his arms around her middle and dragged her back down to sit on his lap.

It didn't do all that much to calm their girlfriend. "You _dare_?!" Gabrielle shouted to the whimpering Weasley. "Just what do you zink Harry does!? He has only _ever_ protected Rose! He was zere for her when ze rest of the world forgot they existed and he is still zere for her now that zey have a place to be zemselves! Just because _you_ can't comprehend not endlessly fighting with your sibling does not mean zat zat is what _zey_ should be doing! You didn't protect your own so you lash out at zem! You are despicable scum!"

"Gabrielle, calm down. I got this," Harry murmured squeezing the blonde harder. Gabrielle shut her eyes and took a deep breath, clenching her fists. A moment later she let out her breath and collapsed back against Harry. Nodding he loosened his grip slightly. "Ron, I stay near Rose because almost every year something or someone tries to kill us. If I let her get out of my sight for too long, that's going to be when she gets kidnapped or murdered. So excuse me for being a bit more protective of her than you are of Ginny."

Weasley levered himself up to his hands and knees and glared first at Gabrielle then at Harry, blood dripping from his cut lip and cheek. "You leave Ginny out of this, Potter. You didn't explain anything. You don't have any reason to be remotely as paranoid as you're pretending to be you git. It's a show and I'm not fooled!"

"No reason?" Rose stood and walked over to Weasley dropping down to a knee so that they were at eye level. Her hand shot out to grab his chin and to lock his gaze onto hers. "You have _no idea_ of the hell we survived. We grew up with people who thought we were, at best, free labor and, at worst, pieces of meat to pimp out." Weasley's eyes widened and he tried to squeak out a reply, but Rose ignored him and kept talking. "Harry and I stick together because we didn't have _anyone_ besides each other for _years_ you dumb fuck! We have friends now, but habits are hard to break. Leave. Us. _Alone_!"

She released him and twisted back to the table. "Harry, Gabrielle, come on, I need a bloody shower now."

"You and Gabi go. I'll stay for a few," Harry replied. He released his hold on a now perfectly serene Gabrielle, who stood smiling. She glared momentarily at Weasley before following Rose out as her ruby hair streamed behind her.

They had almost reached the doors when Weasley shouted out from his position still on the floor, "Neither of you said anything about the unicorn! You've been –"

"The unicorn that a quarter of the class avoided because it was ridiculously _huge_?" Daphne's voice rang out, cutting through Weasley's rant. "Maybe Rose stayed away from it because it's twice her height and over three times her weight. Did you ever consider that? Unicorns are picky horses, but they are still horses and not every girl and boy is obsessed with owning a pony like you and your father seem to believe from what I've heard."

"But, but, I saw…it didn't like her and…"

Daphne scoffed. "Weasley you're embarrassing yourself. The virgin and purity legend is just a myth. It let Professor Hagrid get close and he's almost six decades old. If you think he is still chaste then you are delusional. Go back to your Gryffindors and nurse your wounded pride like a good little boy."

Rose cast a quick glance towards the staff table and searched out Hagrid. Seeing the large man blushing Rose felt a small surge of pity quickly muffled by a larger wave of relief. She liked Hagrid, but that terrifying mental image of a normal sized lady attempting to take a half-giant's manhood nearly left her shaking. That poor, poor man. Turning back towards the exit, Rose tried to concentrate on how he was supposed to start dating Maxime soon. She sincerely hoped that lasted. That pairing at least wouldn't give her nightmares.

As the doors started to swing shut behind them Rose heard McGonagall's familiar stern voice start to call Weasley to his punishment. "About bloody time," Rose muttered. "What is wrong with these teachers that they never intervene until everything is over?"

Gabrielle paced ahead of her chuckling. "It is something about letting us learn to handle problems on our own. Maxime addressed it once before I left. I wasn't really paying attention. Sorry, sweety."

"I didn't really expect an answer, luv," Rose replied rolling her eyes.

Gabrielle shrugged and faced forward again, breaking through the few people who were already in the corridors and blazing a path for the two of them. Rose saw a sixth year Ravenclaw at the curve ahead meet her gaze before frowning and narrowing his eyes. His stare slipped over her shoulder and Rose glanced out of the corner of her eye to one of the suits of armor they were passed. She let out a soft breath, she had started holding on instinct as she caught sight of another Ravenclaw waving towards his friend from behind her.

Rose focused ahead again just in time to see Gabrielle leap forward and lodge an arm under the sixth year's throat forcing him against the wall and jabbing her wand into his side. "Seriously? You would impugn her honor so soon after zat scene? Are you that stupid as well?"

"W-w-what?" the Ravenclaw stammered. His arms flew up in a gesture of surrender as his eyes grew wide. "I don't understand what you're talking about!"

Gabrielle chuckled, the sound was not humorous. "You look down on Rose, just like Weasley. You believe as he did and you ignore reality." Small feathers were starting to sprout along Gabrielle's arms and her wand dug deeper into the unfortunate student's side.

Rose sighed and strode forward with larger steps. She reached out and grasped her girlfriend's arm gently pulling Gabrielle back. "Luv, leave him be. He was waiting for his friend, not glaring at me."

Gabrielle blinked. She looked over her shoulder and saw another gaping Ravenclaw a short ways back. "Ah." Gabrielle stepped back and smiled, her feathers vanishing and her features shifting on a dime into a beatific expression. "My mistake. Sorry about that! Have a pleasant day. Now, Rose, as I was saying, I think Maxime was trying to get us prepared to defend ourselves if we were to come under assault once beyond a school environment. Perhaps it's the same here?" She started walking down the corridor again leaving the traumatized Ravenclaw behind.

Rose rubbed her forehead and mouthed, sorry, to the boy before hurrying to catch up to Gabrielle. "You've been lashing out less lately, Ella. Why react now?"

"Neither of you were being attacked before. When we were alone I didn't have much to stabilize my nature. Now my Bonded is here; it helps. I don't have much inclination to fight against my nature and instincts though if the two of you are being accused of anything."

"You do realize that Ron was completely right, yeah?" Rose snorted.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes and playfully punched Rose's shoulder. "Haha. He could have confronted you in a corridor at least. Daphne and Hermione both had the tact to do so in a silenced classroom."

"…Yeah, okay. Good point. Seriously though, if Harry and I can control ourselves, you need to keep doing so too, Ella."

Gabrielle scrunched up her nose and shrugged. "No promises, but I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks, luv," Rose said. She stood up on her toes and kissed Gabrielle's cheek. "Now come on, I actually wasn't kidding earlier about wanting to take a shower."

* * *

"Do you guys think Weasley could be right?" Pansy asked as the Slytherins settled down into their chairs and couches in the privacy of their Common Room after the meal. "I mean, Weasley's not too bright, but the redhead wasn't exactly wrong with his comments."

Daphne felt her eye twitch briefly. She pushed down the urge to growl. Damn that redhead. She'd been doing so well! Of all the bloody people in this castle to put together the clues _Ronald Weasley_ had never even entered her mind as a concern. She had no contingencies for this and her emergency damage control earlier was obviously insufficient. Sacrifices were needed.

"You're going to listen to the rambles of a dullard who only passes classes because his family is all but indentured to the Headmaster?" Daphne asked raising an eyebrow. Most couldn't manage just the one, but she'd found it to be a truly efficient tool that had been worth mastering. Such a simple thing and yet it served as a fantastic little distraction and tended to be mildly off-putting. Most marks never even realized they were being manipulated by an innocuous expression.

Pansy – true to form – glanced up at Daphne's brow before shrugging and casting her eyes down to the floor. "Even broken clocks can be right twice a day."

Daphne scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Pansy you are complete fool. You are thinking like a Gryffindor instead of like a Slytherin."

"What the hell does _that_ mean?" Theo grunted from his armchair near the fire. Several sixth years made interested noises as well. That served to draw the attention of the remaining students. Excellent.

"Well, you are looking at the surface of the matter instead of the underlying plot – like usual. You really must grow up soon if you expect to play in the Big Leagues." Daphne paused and met the gazes of several of her Housemates lengthening the tension to her 'reveal'. "After all, I'd expect you to be hyper-aware considering it all comes back to your missing beloved."

Pansy scowled and glared at Daphne. Several passing seventh years poked their heads into the room now with a frown. Things couldn't have been setup better if Daphne had asked. "And just what does Draco have to do with anything?!"

Daphne shrugged. "Surely you haven't forgotten how his father has posted a rather large reward for information leading to Draco's discovery. Or…that brings his killers to justice."

"Get to the point, Greengrass," Goyle rumbled clenching his hand.

"I'm sorry, do I have to draw lines for you?" Daphne tapped her chin and smiled at Goyle, making certain to show him her teeth. "Fine. Lucius Malfoy offers a nice fat reward for the capture of the killers. The Weasley sees the prize money and realizes that he has a perfect scapegoat. All he has to do is impugn the honor of the Potters first. Then once that well is poisoned, he can send a letter to Lord Malfoy explaining about the 'disturbing nature' of the Potter twins while including the clinching tidbit about how Draco had been moving to lap up their Veela. Now he shows they had motive and their word has fallen enough that no argument they make in their defense could hold sway."

"You think Weasley is that smart?" Cavendish, a sixth year asked. He seemed genuinely curious. It was a shame that Ronald Weasley wasn't remotely intelligent enough for such a scheme. A sacrifice _was_ required it seemed.

Out loud Daphne laughed wiping at suddenly tear-filled eyes. "Ronald Weasley? No. By Merlin, no! This has Slytherin written all over it."

"One of us?" Pansy asked frowning. All fight had gone out of her. Now that Daphne was no longer discussing Draco himself she was back to a being a sheep.

"Of course," Daphne shrugged. "Tracey? Isn't this your work? You were just mentioning such a scheme the other day in the library after all."

Tracey's lip twitched in the distinctive way that Daphne knew meant she was holding back her titular snarl. Well, bully for her. Perhaps Daphne's old friend would actually have the guts to stand up and gain some proper placement and respect in Slytherin House. "I wish it was. Bloody bastard must've overheard me through the stacks or something. We all know he stalks Granger in there sometimes."

Daphne sighed. She didn't even have to fake it. Tracey had missed a wonderful opportunity there. Oh well, it was no skin off of her knees. "True. Shame though, I almost for sorry for ruining his fun. I was intending to ruin yours and put you back on the defensive, but hey, at least I got to enjoy putting the fool in his place."

Hawkins, a seventh year, nodded. "Yeah, that'll teach the runt to try to play a Slytherin game. Only _we_ can do that and be a success!"

"Here, here!" a shout echoed throughout the Common Room. Daphne smirked in satisfaction and turned to leave. Her job here was done and the twins were secure. She'd have to stay vigilant for a few days, but her future was worth a bit of careful attention in the moment.

She'd only made it onto the first landing when Tracey caught up and grabbed her arm. Daphne glared at the brunette as Tracey let loose the snarl she'd been holding in since the accusation. "What the hell was that?! Why would you throw me to the wolves, Daph? We've been friends for years and you'd just toss me out like yesterday's trash?"

Daphne snorted and brushed Tracey's grip off. "I gave you a wonderful opening. It's not like anyone here would go and confirm the details with that buffoon. All you had to do was claim the credit. Besides, for all I know, you actually _did_ tell him the plan." And she'd needed something plausible to tell the group. She could handle misdirecting Tracey. Misdirecting the entire House was a delicate matter however and had required a heavier touch.

"You are such a total bitch," Tracey spat. She crossed her arms and glared at Daphne tapping her foot.

Was she actually expecting a response to that? Daphne reacted the only way she could. She laughed. "Oh, Trace, we've been friends since childhood and you're only realizing this now?"

"You're not supposed to turn on _me_."

"Tracey, I didn't send you into anything you couldn't handle. You did well for yourself though it could've gone better," Daphne said shrugging. "And if you don't want me fingering you for something then get some dirt on me. Mutually Assured Destruction as the Muggles like to call it."

"Is that what the Potters have over you?" Tracey asked as Daphne turned to leave.

Daphne stopped and turned back cocking her head to the side and smiling softly. "There's my little Slytherin," she purred. "We'll make a pureblood schemer out of you yet."

"That doesn't sound nearly as appealing as it once did," Tracey murmured. Daphne just laughed and started back to her dorm.

* * *

"Alright guys, stand back! It's is going to be fairly energetic when these wards come down," Bill Weasley shouted from his position kneeling a dozen feet from a near ruin of a 'building' near Riddle Manor. The last home of the Gaunt family was barely standing anymore. Dora was a mite curious about whether the entire thing would collapse once Voldemort's wards were brought down.

She and Sirius saluted Bill, though they didn't move. They were near the edge of the property and quite far from him. The curse-breaker had been fairly clear that they shouldn't get closer until he gave the signal. That it allowed for them to talk without fear of being overheard was a pleasant bonus.

"Are you going to tell me or do I have to ask?" Sirius said softly, his arms crossed as he stared resolutely towards Bill and away from Tonks.

"Pretty sure you just did; ask that is."

"…So?"

"So what?" She certainly had no intention of making it easy on him. If Auror training had taught her anything it was how to handle an interrogation – from both sides of the table.

Sirius sighed. "Dora, did you help Harry and Rose cover up Snape's death?"

Dora shut her eyes, grateful she was skilled with her morphs. When she was younger that question would likely have sent her hair through a rainbow flight of colors. Now, unless she consciously relaxed her hold, her powers never betrayed her. "Why would you ask that, Cousin?"

"Come on, Dora, this is me we're talking about. You practically live at Grimmauld now," Sirius said, still not looking at her. "You just happen to disappear on an 'urgent errand' late at night; Snape makes a short, cryptic appearance a few hours later; he's never heard from or seen in the next two weeks. Couple that with the Patronus call being a jackal – which I have on good authority is Rose's – and that the twins have repeatedly claimed Snape was trying to kill Harry and enslave her, not to mention the fun little potion collection reportedly found amongst Snape private stash…It's not a big leap, Dora. Did you help them?"

She considered her response for nearly a minute. She'd known this would come up eventually with Sirius. He and Mum would be the only ones to figure it out most likely. And Andromeda Tonks wouldn't care. She'd probably give Dora a medal and then make certain that her little girl had been careful in the body disposal. The Blacks were efficient like that.

But Sirius had never really been a proper Black son. He had the name unlike Tonks, but he'd never actually been a part of the family. How would he actually react knowing that his godchildren were murderers and his cousin was complicit at best? What if they told him the full story? Would it even help knowing that the 'kids' were technically older than Dora was at this point? Or was Sirius hard enough to brush it off without any assistance? He had survived Azkaban after all…

"What if I said I did help cover things up? Would that change things between you and them?"

Tonks saw Sirius frown out of the corner of her eye. "Honestly, Dora, no. And that truly bothers me, because it _should_. Azkaban muted a lot of my normal emotional range. I can fake it well for most things, but if we're being honest with each other then you should know that I'm never going to feel like I used to. Mind Healers only go so far and that's not even an option for me until my name is cleared."

"So you don't care?" she asked. Better to be sure of these things just in case.

"I don't care. I should, but I don't. If I had ever found Snape alone in a back-alley, I'd probably kill him myself after the things that Harry and Rose have told me about him. That doesn't change the fact that I should be wary of two fourteen year olds offing their professor. Nor does it change that my own cousin who escaped my family's dark history is acting more in line with my parents than I ever did. And I don't care…I wish I could care…" Sirius sighed and trailed off while staring at the ground, shaking his head.

Dora nodded and reached out to pat his shoulder briefly. "There's a lot more going on behind the scenes then you know, Siri. And when it comes to me, remember my mother is the eldest of the Black sisters. She may not have the name, but she was raised just like you and she passed enough down to me so that I could survive on my own; if I needed to."

"Can you let me in on the secrets? It might help."

"Not my story to tell, Cousin," she said flashing him a sad smile.

"Yeah, I was kinda afraid of that." He stayed silent a long time as Bill continued to work and the perimeter of the house started to glow a muted red. Eventually Sirius started talking again. "Do they hate me for abandoning them to their hell? Is that why they told you their story and not me?"

Dora shook her head. "My relationship with those two is…complicated, Sirius. And no, they don't hate you. Rose is a bit…miffed, but Harry and Gabrielle are talking her around. I think they'll loop you into everything by summer at least."

Sirius nodded, not seeming to trust his voice. The light from the wards grew brighter before he found his courage again. "Can you at least tell me why you are willing to go so far for them, Dora? I mean, I'm loyal because it is _my_ fault that they wound up so damn damaged. I _have_ to make it up to them. No matter where that road leads me. But you don't have that excuse. So, why? Why are you willing to help them cover a murder? You're an Auror…"

Dora stayed silent composing her thoughts. She swallowed the first few responses that popped into her head, eventually settling on the right words. "I think I'm the first one who ever actually _helped_ them. They grew up alone and isolated with no friends and no adults willing to step in. At Hogwarts, they weren't in Gryffindor and that threw enough people off that they didn't immediately have friends. By the time the novelty of a Hufflepuff Potter wore off, the other firsties had realized how odd and quiet they were. They stayed to themselves and they studied by themselves. They didn't try to make friends; they didn't seem to even understand the meaning of the word."

"How do you know this?" Sirius asked.

"I was a seventh year in their House, I saw it happening," Tonks said scowling. She regretted those first few months more than anything else in her life. She'd waited so long to approach them, hoping that they would make friends their own age, but the longer she waited the more isolated they became – even in the House of the Badgers where that wasn't supposed to happen. "Eventually I followed them one evening when they were exploring the castle. I engineered a little meeting to break the ice, and made it clear I was available if they needed help afterwards. It worked. They started talking to me and kept in touch when I left Hogwarts and joined the Aurors."

"Why did you care to begin with?"

"They're family," Dora stated. It really was as simple as that to her. The Blacks protected their own. "I remember holding them when they were babies. I remember crying on my parents' laps when they said that Dumbledore had overruled our right to shelter them and instead they'd been placed with their Aunt. I remember expecting to see adorable, happy little eleven-year-olds that first day back in school years later. Instead I saw skittish, guarded adults with a protective streak that was distinctly unhealthy for anyone around them."

Sirius grunted. His hand balled into a fist and Dora knew he was restraining himself from apparating out to the Dursleys' to show them just what happens when you mistreat family. She knew because she had been clenching her fists that like nearly every day for the past four years. It wasn't their right to go after those bastards though. That they would save for Harry and Rose.

"If you ask me if the twins are my little siblings or my own kids, I honestly couldn't tell you," Dora continued softly. "All I know is that I will protect them until the day I die – that includes Gabrielle now by the way. If that protection requires a bit of a cover-up here and there, I can deal with it. They may have more people on their side now, but when I met them it was just me. I was their first friend, and I'm going to make damn sure, that I'm their last. As long as they don't step over the line, I'm going to be there for them whenever they need me."

"And where is the line, Dora?" Sirius asked. His voice was barely above a whisper and Dora had to strain to hear him over the increasing hum of the wards.

"Right now? Innocents."

"Right now?"

She crossed her arms and stared straight ahead. "I'm a Black, Cousin. Madness is in our genes. For me, family comes first. Always." It was probably a good thing that Sirius couldn't see her eyes. She knew there would be a decidedly disturbing gleam in them with that statement. There always was when she talked about her family.

Sirius was quiet long enough after that that Dora began to think the conversation was over. As the humming of the strained wards grew to a feverish buzz, though he murmured, "Mum always said that Andromeda was the truly scary one. If your mother is anything like you, I think I finally understand why. I'll keep Remus away from the four of you. I don't think he'd survive long if he keeps interacting with any of you."

"That's probably a good idea, Sirius. Remus is not innocent. Make sure he knows that." With a screech, a crash and a wave of force that nearly knocked her off her feet, the wards around the Gaunt Shack toppled. Bill gave out a whoop of success and waved her and Sirius over as he stood up. Throwing her normal persona back on, Dora flashed the redhead a wide smile and thumbs-up.

Walking forward to the waiting Horcrux, Dora didn't bother to look over her shoulder at her cousin. Sirius was loyal to the Potters. He was a friend, and he was family.

And family was all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fanfic Rec: 'A Cadmean Victory' by DarknessEnthroned. Fleur tends to get a bad break so here's a balm! This is a Harry/Fleur fic with a darker Harry being affected by Pettigrew escaping in 3rd Year. He reacts badly to the Tournament…I haven't gotten a chance to read more than a few snippets, but all have been excellent and many others share the same opinion! Also, it is complete with a nice little epilogue written separately as well.


	10. Breaking Delusions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Again, thanks to my beta, Grey Raven 09. Apologies for this chapter taking so long to get out, but I've been going back and forth over the final direction for a while now. This chapter was the final decision point where I either had to decide to use my original plan, or scrap it and go with what the characters wanted. While I did end up choosing the latter it took a while to get a decent plan/general outline going for that version. Now that I have a game plan I should be able to be at least slightly more consistent with chapters.

**Chapter 10: Breaking Delusions**

"Potters, Delacour, I have good news and I have bad news," Daphne said, smoothing her robe and settling into her seat across from Harry and his family. He waved for her to continue and she nodded, pulling a copy of the Daily Prophet from her robes. "The good news is that I successfully redirected the entirety of House Slytherin. Everyone now firmly believes that Ron was attempting to sully your reputation enough to reliably implicate you in the murder of Draco and claim the reward from Lucius."

Harry blinked repeatedly opening and closing his mouth several times before finding his voice. "…Ron Weasley came up with that plan? And your housemates believe this? Daphne we should be paying you…"

Daphne smirked. "I told you I was good. Unfortunately, I seem to have overlooked that the story would have gotten out to the larger public before I was able to defuse the situation locally."

"Meaning what exactly?" Gabrielle asked. She leant forward and reached for the Prophet. "How bad is it?"

"Well, honestly, considering what the papers have printed about you in the past, it's really about the same," Daphne sighed. She deflated and shrugged trying to hide her downcast eyes. They'd trusted her to help them hide and while hiding in Hogwarts was doable she hadn't been very successful overall. This was supposed to be what she was _good_ at. Everything had gone so perfectly the night before too! "I'm sorry. I don't know who Skeeter got to or how she got the account."

Harry turned to Rose and automatically reached out to squeeze her arm. Rose's eyes were locked on the paper held in Gabrielle's hand. Her pupils were dilated and her lips were raised in a silent snarl. "That fucking _bitch_!" Rose hissed.

"To be fair, she _is_ mostly accurate for once," Harry stated sighing. He reached up to rub his forehead with his free hand. The words _Boy-Who-Lived Defiles Own Sister While Cheating on French Veela Girlfriend? Tournament Scandal Erupts_ blazed on the inside of his eyelids and he had to push down his own rising blood pressure. This wasn't anything new. Skeeter was an awful person; it was a fact of life.

Rose turned her glare on Harry. "Keep. Reading."

Harry frowned and moved forward skimming the rest of the article. As he reaching the last few paragraphs he sucked in a sharp breath. "Oh hell no, she's going after Sirius and Tonks? Fuck that shite!"

Gabrielle read out, " _Such a controversy is not unusual and, in their extended family, is regarded as normal. The Blacks – of which the Potter twins are an offshoot, as was James Potter, their father – has fairly regularly engaged in such unnatural and disturbing practices. The madness and betrayal of the infamous Sirius Black has long been blamed on the instability in his family line. His rebellion against tradition and heritage belied the same sort of pattern present with the Boy-Who-Lived and his twin sister. With this new worrying information coming to light can we expect them to follow in his footsteps? Harry Potter has been needlessly extreme and violent in the past several years. His use of a priceless Founder artifact to badly injure a fully grown dragon in this Tournament has only been his most recent outburst. Perhaps you, dear reader, feel that I am being harsh and jumping to conclusions. To that I submit further proof: Nymphadora Tonks. Supposedly a respected Auror, this woman is also the daughter of the Black line and has a history of disciplinary problems not to mention repeatedly questioning highly respected members of our society on baseless grounds. She has never been able to maintain a long-term relationship nor has she shown any inclination to treat her many partners as anything more than simple playthings. Moreover Harry and Rose Potter have both stayed with her for the past two summers. Is this someone that we want influencing two children? Is this someone who should be putting ideas into the heads of the Potter Twins? This reporter for one will be keeping a close watch on the situation as it progresses._ "

As Gabrielle finished she turned to Harry, a coating of down visible poking out from under her sleeves and red flickering through her eyes. "Can we neuter her?"

"Yes," Harry and Rose breathed out together, both glaring at the paper hard enough it was a wonder that their magic didn't combust it on the spot. Harry continued quietly. "She's going after our family. Disparaging us is one thing; we're used to it."

"But she's aiming for Tonks. Tonks has never been anything but good to us. She might as well be our sister." Rose turned back to Daphne and considered her next words for a moment. Finally she nodded to herself and said, "I know we had an agreement prior, and you've done a fantastic PR job here at Hogwarts, but we're about to escalate things. Get out now if you want; otherwise you should probably consider yourself with us until the end."

Daphne didn't even pause to think. "I'm with you."

"If the public starts to act on Rita's suggestions it's probably going to be…bloody," Harry stated as he methodically tore the paper into tiny strips and moved them into a pile for Gabrielle to incinerate.

"I am fully aware of your history. I would never have approached you all originally if I was uncomfortable with your tendency towards violence."

"We're getting better," Rose muttered. Daphne cocked an eyebrow and Rose groaned. "Well, we were getting better."

Daphne shrugged. "It doesn't make a difference to me. I would prefer less violence than more, but as long as it isn't directed at someone who is entirely innocent, I really don't care. My family is historically grey and we've never shied away from appropriate retribution."

Harry stared at the smoldering paper ashes for several long, quiet seconds. Eventually he turned his head up and met Daphne's gaze. The look in his eyes was cold enough to send a shiver down her spine. "Daphne, I recommend you have your parents start investing in contacts outside of Britain. It never hurts to be safe rather than sorry."

Daphne frowned though nodded slowly. "I don't suppose you'll tell me why."

Gabrielle shook her head, the feathers still present. "No, we won't. Also, question Parkinson. She knows how Skeeter and ze ferret communicated with each other previously. Find it out. I want to know what it is and how we stop it. I want to know where she is and how she gets onto ze grounds and gets her 'exclusives' without anyone knowing. I want to know how to find her while she zinks she's safe and anonymous."

Daphne frowned. She gripped the desk tighter for a moment before breathing out and nodding. "I would prefer not to be actively involved in what comes after I provide the information."

"You won't be," Rose stated. She grinned showing off her teeth in a predatorial display. "Skeeter is attacking our family. We protect our own."

* * *

The three of them ended up skipping their classes that morning and retreating to the Room of Requirement. Harry watched his sister drop onto the large couch with a grunt of frustration and the fire still burning in her eyes. "I _knew_ we should've put her on the list to begin with!" Rose exclaimed. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared into the fire. "She just can't leave well enough alone can she? She's as bad as Fudge."

"I'd say she's probably worse. At least Fudge is mostly just a greedy, idiotic, fool; Skeeter is a legitimate poisonous leech that glories in bringing down everyone around her, just like Umbitch," Harry sighed sitting down next to her and pulling her against his side. "Calm down, Rosy, we'll get her."

"Don't tell me to calm down, Harry!" Rose hissed glaring at him.

Gabrielle paced in front of the couch glaring at the floor as her feathers finally started to recede. "I bet she's probably an animagus. Something innocuous that most people would ignore."

Rose turned from Harry and scowled. "She's probably a rat. Animagus forms generally at least somewhat match personalities."

Gabrielle shook her head and continued pacing. "Not a rat. It may fit her personality, but too many people would notice a rat on campus. Especially after you tipped off the House Elves about Pettigrew's form."

"So something else small then," Harry chimed in. "I bet she's a spider, one of the really ugly ones. An insect would suit her."

Gabrielle nodded barely even seeming to hear Harry as she kept up her trudge. "Insect would be a good fit. And spiders vanish easily. Except the monster spiders that the groundskeeper has hidden away." She paused and a grin crossed her features for a fleeting moment before she shook her head again. "No, the acromantula won't care about Skeeter, even if she is impersonating one, they couldn't be conned into doing the job for us."

"Ella, sit down," Harry murmured reaching out to grab her hand as she walked past and gently pulling her down as well. Gabrielle took a deep breath and nodded, cuddling up against Rose's other side. Harry kneaded the fingers of his right hand along her scalp, slowly leaching out the girl's tension.

He let the silence reign for a few minutes as all three of them re-centered. Finally, when he knew he'd be able to remain calm he nudged his sister's head up until he was looking into her eyes. "Rose, I need to know how bad things got in Britain. I need to _see_."

"How bad for everyone else in the country or how bad for me and Ella?" Rose asked frowning.

"More of the latter though if you know the former I'll take that too."

Gabrielle picked her head up from Rose's shoulder and cocked it to the side at Harry's reply. "Why do you ask? Context for how the public is reacting now?"

Harry grimaced and shook his head. "I'm considering an exit strategy, but I want to be sure before I put it forth. Knowing how everyone reacted to things after my trial would help inform my decision. Though to be perfectly honest, Ella, I'm far more concerned about protecting us and our family over whatever the bloody hell ends up happening around Britain."

Rose nodded though her eyes narrowed and she pulled back from him to point at his chest. "Of course I'll let you in my head, Harry, but _you_ are not a skilled Legilimens who has had over a decade of intensive practice to improve like Ella and I. Being on the other end I can only help you so much. This isn't going to be pleasant – for either of us."

"I know," he said grimacing. "I still think it needs to be done. I need a baseline. Words only do so much."

Rose sighed and shifted into a fully upright position. She twisted and sat herself cross legged on the couch facing him. "Your funeral, brother. Ella, we'll probably need a hangover cure after this."

"On it, sweetie," Gabrielle replied _far_ too cheerfully. She hopped off the couch and moved over to her bag as Harry turned and mirrored Rose.

"Okay, here goes nothing," Harry murmured. "Legilimens."

* * *

Molly Weasley's shout echoed out of Grimmauld Place's kitchen and into the little sitting room Rose had secluded herself into, "It is not _my_ fault that Sirius got himself killed! All I said was Harry in all likelihood _had_ fought back and _did_ get himself killed! The child had a history of acting out and for all we know he actually _did_ kill that poor boy! I was simply trying to remind Sirius that it was Harry's own fault for antagonizing the Ministry and that the man had a duty to protect this home. Does anyone even know what happens to the Fidelius now that he's dead?"

"You utter _bitch_!" Tonks answering screech cut through Rose's stupor and the redhead slammed her hands over her ears rocking back and forth humming to herself in the corner trying to drown out the noise. It had never worked before; only Harry's chest and Harry's hands had ever been able to make the shouting quiet to a manageable level. "How many times do I have to tell you that that kid _did_ _nothing wrong?_! Neither did Sirius! If I thought I could get to her I'd be killing Dolores Umbridge myself!"

"And you wonder why the boy was so violent," Molly scoffed.

"Everyone, please, calm down," Dumbledore's murmur only managed to be heard thanks to magic. "The Fidelius will hold. Now we must discuss other matters…"

Rose finally managed to tune out the conversation. _I can't stay here. Everyone is an enemy; except Tonks. Everyone thinks Harry is guilty or dead. It's not safe. The Dursleys. I'll go there. Then at least I can feel right hating everything. And if I lose control…No one will miss them…_

"I swear to god if you don't shut up right now I'll – "

_The scene wrenched to the side and instead of the inside of the ratty old walls of Grimmauld Place, Rose was now in one of the corridors of Hogwarts. A petite Gabrielle standing in front of her with wand held in the face of an older Gryffindor student._

"I swear to god if you don't shut up right now I will 'ex you enough zat even ze school nurse will not be able to fix you!"

"Merlin, kid, why do you defend Potter?" the Gryffindor – McLaggen? – asked as he backed away. "You do know her brother killed a student in their house out of jealousy and pettiness right? And that he tried to kill a Professor and actually _did_ kill a different one and – ARRG!"

Gabrielle was snarling as she launched four different hexes in quick succession into McLaggen's face. Rose in turn sobbed into the Veela's back and clutched her robes. "NEVER SPEAK OF 'ARRY POTTER ZAT WAY YOU _ENFOIRÉ_!"

The Gryffindor screamed again as he ran from the hexs raining down on him, barely making it around the corner before the spells gouged out large chunks of the wall he disappeared behind it. Gabrielle let out a frustrated huff and twisted as best she could with Rose still clinging to her robes. "Rose? Are you alright?"

Her hair flipped around her as she shook her head. "No, no I'm not! He's not here and he's not coming back! I need him, I _need_ him! How am I supposed to _function_ without Harry, Gabrielle?! I don't…I can't… _he's not here_! Where is Harry?"

A tear ran down the side of Gabrielle's face and she finally managed to pull Rose's hands out of her robes for long enough to turn fully and wrap her small arms around the older girl. Rose collapsed against Gabrielle and cried harder. "I'll protect you until we find him, Rose. I'm not leaving and you're not giving up. We _will_ find him," Gabrielle squeezed hard though it had minimal effect.

"I have to get stronger," Rose sobbed into Gabrielle's shoulder. "I was able to do it against Vernon, I have to learn to do it all the time. Harry's not here and you're too small to make you take it all on yourself. I have to get stronger and I have to learn to fight."

Gabrielle stiffened towards the end of Rose's words though the moment passed quickly. She pushed up on her tiptoes and murmured in Rose's ear, "I'll help you."

_The surroundings wrenched again and this time the scene resolved into a small kitchen in a tiny, one-room flat barely large enough to be considered livable._

"I'll help you with that," Gabrielle said sitting down next to Rose.

Rose grimaced before replying, "You don't have to do that, Ella. I'm…sorry." Her face heated up as the blush spread across her cheeks and she clutched the bathrobe tighter around her naked skin underneath. "You should um…finish up. There's no reason you should be denied just because _I_ can't get into it."

Gabrielle sighed and reached over to squeeze Rose's hand. "Sweetie, I'm never going to enjoy it if you don't. It's part of being a Veela; we aren't satisfied unless our partners are."

"Well I'm obviously never going to enjoy it." She hung her head and let her hair fall forward to curtain her face. "Without Harry involved all I can think about is Vernon or Draco's hands touching me and I just…I'm sorry, Ella. I really did try…I just…"

"Rosy, it's okay!" Gabrielle replied jumping her chair close enough to hug the redhead and pull her head down against her chest. "Really, _mon amour_ , I understand. That's why we're going to work instead, it'll make you feel better to be productive and it'll help me to suppress my urges. Focusing and inventing always work that way with me. It's part of why I love it so much!"

Rose nodded slowly against Gabrielle's chest. She took a deep breath and picked her head back up, smiling softly and leaning forward to gently kiss the Veela's cheek. "That's good to hear, Ella. I'm still sorry, but you're right, let's get to work. Any news from Tonks?"

Gabrielle picked up a paper and a letter that had been left on the table by an owl earlier that morning. "To a degree. Dumbledore apparently decided to confide in her about the Horcruxes last night."

"Seriously? Just _now_? She's known about it for years and destroyed three herself and the bearded wonder just _now_ decided that she should be read in?" Rose asked rearing back and staring at the letter with wide eyes.

"I believe he wanted someone to know before he died. Apparently he was planning to fight Voldemort shortly after. He lost by the way."

"That's what you get for waiting three years old man," Rose muttered with a scowl.

Gabrielle snorted and nodded in agreement. "Voldemort is now the legitimate government. The country doesn't even seem to have noticed a difference from what I gather. I am surprised he's not crusading against Muggleborn already, though I suppose it _has_ only been a day. They have decided that you are an 'Enemy of Britain' and should be detained on sight for 'crimes against decency'. That does sound somewhat familiar though…"

Rose laughed. "It should! Ella, I've had that sentence on me for more than a year. Remember? It was when they decided that they would stand a better chance by appeasement and Voldy was like 'I want Potter or Potterette' and Fudge was all 'Okay, have Potterette! I just need to capture her first and…Oh, um, you don't happen to have any spare gold do you? No? Okay, well I'll just put this bounty on her anyway then.' I can't say I'm surprised that Tonks missed that one though; wasn't that when she was hunting Greyback?"

"Oh yes, you're right! I forgot about that. Anyway it looks like she has a lead on the locket and Bellatrix seems to have let something slip while fighting Dumbledore…"

* * *

Harry pulled back from Rose's mind with a shudder and groan and fell onto his back on the couch. "Ow," he moaned rubbing his forehead. "Next time I get the bright idea to try my hand at Legilimency someone stun me. Rose, you okay?"

His sister was splayed out in a near mirror posture with one arm over her eyes and the other blindly groping in empty space. A chuckling Gabrielle handed a potion bottle to the questing appendage; the mixture was swiftly guzzled by Rose. "Ugh, no wonder our test subjects wound up as vegetables. You were being careful and that still feels like a bloody lorry backed over me a few times. Let's never do that again yeah? Get what you needed, brother?"

"I think so," Harry grunted. He made no effort to move from his prone position though he did let his arm drop off the side to the couch. "So basically the Order turned on you and Britain's people stayed mindless arseholes?"

"More or less." Rose sighed. "I mean, yeah, it was more complicated than that, and mostly the Order was against you more than me, but as far as I was concerned – "

"We, Rose, as far as _we_ were concerned," Gabrielle cut in moving to Harry and gently wiping a wet cloth across his forehead eliciting a sigh of relief from the boy.

"Right, as far as _we_ were concerned, the Order turned on us so we struck out on our own. When has wider Britain ever done anything right by us, Harry? Are you really surprised that they tried to appease Voldemort when they thought it might give them a chance?"

He grimaced and as Gabrielle's hand slipped into his own, he gripped her tight. "No, I suppose I'm not surprised. Disappointed, but not surprised. Girls…I don't know how much I want to bother with fixing this place…"

Rose levered herself up onto her elbows and stared at Harry. She spoke slowed and deliberately, "Harry, we never intended to come back and save the Wizarding World or stop the war. We aren't here to fix the world or help fools who don't help themselves. We don't have any interest in saving people who despise us, ridicule us and keep throwing us to the werewolves at every opportunity. Gabrielle and I came back to save _you_ _and only you_. Now that we're here, we're _going_ to save _Dora_ , _Sirius_ , _Hermione_ , and _Daphne_ , because they are family, or proven allies. We can try to save the others from the study group too, but we already know that Sally-Anne and Justin are getting the hell out of town once things start to go to hell and Neville moves to Beauxbatons too so I'm not worried about him either. Wizarding Britain can go suck on a Dementor's tit for all I care."

Gabrielle shifted Harry's head so that he was staring up into her eyes once Rose was finished talking. "As for myself, Harry, I feel the same. I care for my Mate and I care for Rose. Fleur and the rest of my family will be safe in France once this year is over. Unfortunately we cannot just run away. We must be smart about this."

Harry nodded. He pulled the washcloth off his head and carefully pulled himself up to a sitting position wincing slightly at the stab in his head. "Agreed. We still need to ensure that Voldemort doesn't come after us and we need to ensure that Dumbledore doesn't either. Tough bill that without killing Tom. So we might still have to fix the war problem."

"Not necessarily…" Rose murmured. She sat up as well though refused to meet Harry eyes. "We know that Tom can't make more Horcruxes and we know that he's more focused on Britain than he is on us. If we make him realize that _we're_ not a threat…he might just leave us alone."

"Except I'm a symbol of his failure," Harry said frowning. "Unless I'm not, I've basically only directly pissed him off twice. Once as a baby and once in first year. He doesn't technically know about the Diary and last year he wasn't here. So far, I'm less the Boy-Who-Lived and more The-Boy-Who's-Dangerously-Violent-And-Probably-The-Next-Dark-Lord. Tom was always practical when he was given the opportunity."

Gabrielle nodded. "Agreed. We have two major options. We can proceed as originally planned: sabotage the ritual at the end of the Third Task as much as possible and capture the homunculus Dark Lord before 'e can resurrect fully. Or we allow the ritual to proceed as it did the first time, let Voldemort resurrect himself and sic him and Dumbledore against each other while we gracefully step to ze side letting Britain reap what it 'as sown. I personally vote for this option."

Harry snorted. "And they call me violent. Rose, why can't you and Ella back me up during the ritual again? Hell, why can't Tonks and Sirius for that matter?"

"Fidelius," she said shaking her head. "We know it happens in a graveyard, but that's it. The portkey takes you through the ward and while we can _try_ to grab onto it under the Invisibility Cloak at the same time as you do during the Task, I honestly don't think that that is a good idea at all. I feel it's far more likely to get someone killed trying to mess with fate like that. Though, if we are seriously considering not capturing Babymort – Harry I don't want you anywhere near that graveyard."

"I still have to complete in the Task, Rose."

Gabrielle grinned, a soft laugh bubbling forth. "Yet you do not have to _win_! We have enough money to survive as the Ministry has not yet drained your account. We can still make the same deal we did previously with selling our story to the Muggles – though probably with a different author this time since she changed so much towards the end. As long as my sister is not the one to touch the Cup we are golden!"

Harry nodded slowly. "It would have to be Cedric. I kind of like Viktor. He may not be a friend, but he was never an enemy and he always at least semi-supported us. I may still wind up there though girls. We never did find out just who was helping me in this thrice damned tournament. Or did you?"

"No," Rose grunted. "Moody kept looking into it even after your trial, bless him, but as far as we know, he never found out who got through the security. The best guess was always Karkaroff though we never had enough proof to be sure. Ella and I always had other things that were more important. Sorry, Harry."

"It's not your fault, Rosy," Harry said pulling her into a hug. Both winced and groaned as their heads shifted too quickly. They froze and stared at each other before laughing. "Okay, let's table this for now. Ella, you good?"

"I'm good, Harry. I still vote for letting Cedric face Voldemort, but we'll see how things go!"

Harry laughed again and wrapped his other arm around the Veela. "Yeah, I'm _definitely_ the next Dark Lord in this trio."

* * *

The trio finally emerged from their seclusion around dinner making their way down to the Great Hall. They hadn't even made it through the doors before Harry and Rose were waylaid by Sprout handing them a note and directing them back towards the Headmaster's office. The portly teacher walked back towards the dinner hall with a barely concealed scowl at the twins, an expression echoed on their own faces.

"I really dislike that woman," Harry muttered. "Ever wonder what it would be like to have a Head of House who actually liked us?"

"You mean like Flitwick?" Rose replied. "He's pretty much the only decent Head there is."

Gabrielle frowned at the note as she pulled it out of Harry's hand. "Do you want me to come with you both?"

"No, we got this, Gabrielle. You should go have dinner with your sister. This is probably about skipping classes all day anyway. Even if it isn't we can deal with it," Harry said. He hugged her and lightly pushed her towards to the Great Hall. "Go, eat. Save us something in case we take too long."

"Okay…Call me if you need me." The twins nodded and moved off towards the corridor with gargoyle leading up to Dumbledore. A quick password later and they were on their way up to their first face to face meeting with the Headmaster since returning in time.

"Ah Mr. and Miss. Potter, finished with dinner already?" Dumbledore asked as he set aside several papers and peered up at them over his glasses.

Harry sighed and sat down in one of the seats across from the old man while Rose took the other. "Professor Sprout must have forgotten to mention that it wasn't urgent and could wait for us to eat first, Sir."

"Well, I would hesitate to say that it isn't urgent however, there is no reason to skip dinner. Floppy?" A House Elf popped into the room to the side of the table and bowed. Dumbledore smiled down at the creature and continued, "Floppy, three plates of sandwiches and fruit please with a side of pudding and pie."

"Floppy be right on it Headmaster Sir."

The plates appeared a few seconds later, Rose nabbed an apple and between bites asked, "So, why is the Headmaster himself telling us off for skiving off classes? You do realize that Harry has a ton of training to do now that everyone and their mother at this school is allergic to helping? Gabrielle and I seem be some of the only people willing to take any time to help him learn. She doesn't have classes here officially and as long as I can pass my End of Year tests the teachers here can't expel me for ignoring my lessons. I really don't care about my grades as long as Harry survives this last task."

"And I'm officially exempt from having to attend classes as long as I'm doing training related things. Which I was," Harry put in.

Dumbledore chuckled though Harry could see the exhaustion in the old man's eyes and the slump of his shoulders. Damn. "I fully understand, and I assure you, Mr. and Miss. Potter, I did not ask you here to berate you over a few missed classes. Education is of course important, however we have other things of greater weight to discuss at the moment."

"You've determined who entered my brother into the Tournament?" Rose asked leaning forward with wide eyes. Harry suppressed a groan. She was playing it up a bit too much there. Granted they _were_ supposed to be fourteen, but still…

"Miss Potter, Rose, I believe we all know why I have asked you here. You saw the Daily Prophet this morning did you not?"

Harry couldn't blame Dumbledore for flinching back. The sheer hatred and revulsion that flashed across his sister's face at the mention of the article from that rag would've frightened him too if it'd been directed his way. Her eyes widened, her teeth bared, and a snarl escaped from her lips as static filled the air from Rose's magic rising in response to her anger. Harry reached over and gripped her arm squeezing hard. "Rose," he murmured. "Not here. Not now. Calm down. We're getting better, remember?"

Rose shut her eyes and breathed deep. A few breaths later she nodded and opened her eyes again. Attempting to smile at the Headmaster she said in a voice devoid of inflection, "Yes, Sir, we saw the article this morning."

Dumbledore swallowed whatever he had been prepared to say and simply sat there. Finally after a seeming eternity he very slowly nodded and reached for an instrument to the side. "I admit to some concern over the contents of said article. While Rita Skeeter is a sensationalist who tends to wildly exaggerate her content she does always have a core kernel of truth to base her lies on. I worry that…I worry there may be truth to this story."

"What exactly are you asking, Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked again squeezing Rose's arm and silently requesting the lead.

The man grimaced. "Harry, I can understand the teenage desire to explore one's…sexuality. I can even understand the desire for the forbidden. When I was a boy I was infatuated with an individual that my family disapproved of as well. I defied them thinking I knew better. It did not end well and there were – to my _eternal_ shame – deaths involved."

Harry frowned and felt a minor headache coming on. "Could you please try to be less obscure and more direct, Sir? Are you attempting to imply something or you simply relating an old story?"

"Harry, Rose," Dumbledore sighed. "Very well, are the two of you romantically involved with each other?"

"We respectfully decline answering that question, Professor Dumbledore," Harry immediately replied.

"Harry, I need to know. I must be able to protect you and as your guardian it falls to me to ensure that you are properly taken cared for and – "

"Stop. Just. Bloody. Fucking. _Stop_!" Harry ground out through clenched teeth. He sucked in a sharp breath and collected himself loosening his fists before continuing in a calmer voice. "For starters, don't pretend you care all of a sudden. You dumped us on the doorstep of people who despised our parents without even stopping to say hello. You never once checked on how we were being raised. You haven't cared that we were bullied since practically day one of being in this school let alone in this world. You still have not forced a hearing for Sirius, our legitimate guardian. _You_ are not our guardian. _Nymphadora Tonks_ is our guardian and has been since June. You don't _need to know_ squat Professor. You want to know about Hogwarts, great, let's talk. You want to know about our personal lives? Fuck off wanker."

Dumbledore leaned back and shut his eyes, running a hand down his long beard and pulling off his glasses with the other. He was silent for several long seconds before softly replying. "Certainly it wasn't _that_ bad? I thought that anyone coming from the same family as Lily Evans couldn't possibly be as bad as she had been painted. I thought that Petunia would be…better."

"You thought wrong, old man. Are we done, Harry?" Rose snarled standing. She moved behind Harry's chair and laid a hand on his shoulder. He nodded and stood to follow. The two had just turned as Dumbledore murmured behind them.

"We are not finished, children."

"I believe we've made it clear that we have no intentions of answering your questions, Professor," Harry replied.

"Then you will listen." Dumbledore steepled his fingers on the desk and kept his eyes cast at the floor refusing to meet their gazes. "I agree that Harry's survival in this Tournament is of the current utmost importance. However, afterwards the status quo will have to change. While this situation is not _illegal_ it is not _right_. And it cannot be allowed to continue. You are both a danger to those around you. Harry, you stabbed your own aunt at the dinner table at 13."

"Marge is lucky we didn't do worse to her considering what she was threatening," Rose muttered under her breath.

Thankfully, Dumbledore didn't seem to hear her and plowed right on. "Remus has told me of the two of you threatening him last year. Snape had as well – before he disappeared. Rose, you and I were the last two to speak with him before he vanished. Harry, you nearly killed that poor dragon and injured several spectators when you used Helga Hufflepuff's War Staff in the First Task. Your devotion to each other is admirable however it is dangerous and volatile and I see it leading you both down a dark path."

"What exactly are you saying, Dumbledore," Harry asked almost too quietly to be heard.

Dumbledore grimaced and his voice softened to near inaudible levels too. "This summer, you will be separated. Rose will stay with the Dursleys and Harry will stay with Sirius at his family home. I will ensure the proper warding is in place to ensure that the dwelling is safe to inhabit."

Cold flooded through Harry. Suddenly everything was all the more real. Their idle conversation from earlier about contingencies and potential options surged to front of his mind. Separate them? Rose stepped up next to him and asked, "Let me get this straight, I'm to stay with the Dursleys?" Her voice was completely devoid of all emotion. "Vernon and Petunia. The ones we just said hate us. The man who has repeatedly tried to rape me and has usually only been stopped because of my brother and only recently because I figured out I have my own spine to fight back with. Those people? Not Tonks? Not Andromeda and Ted? Not even the Weasleys, or the Bones, or the Finch-Fletchleys, or the Perks, or the Grangers, or the Delacours?"

"There are protections on the Dursley household that must be maintained; protections that cannot be allowed to fall. I am sorry, but this is the way things must be."

Harry nodded, the weight in his stomach lifted and determination replacing it. He'd reach out to Daphne and let her know to make all the preparations she'd need. There wasn't any point in PR anymore, if she was staying with them, she and her family would need a new base. They'd also have to have Tonks and Sirius start convincing the elder Grangers to move to America or something.

"Thank you for the warning, Dumbledore," Harry replied. "Here's one in turn. Do not rely on us for the coming war. You will only be disappointed. This country, this world and these people have continually disappointed us. We have no interest in protecting you or this place. We only care about those we love; our friends and our family. You are not one of them. Good day Albus Dumbledore, I would wish you luck, but it would be insincere."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fanfic Rec: 'The Disorder of the Phoenix' by JacobApples. It's a Harry/Tonks story with a largely canon Harry who, instead of staying with Ginny after the war, ended up helping a near catatonic Andromeda raise Teddy. About 7 years later Fawkes is very dissatisfied with things and decides he wants a redo so blazes Harry/Andi/Teddy back into the past during Fifth Year. Besides the odd method of time travel, there is the also unusual addition of Harry becoming his older age, Andromeda retaining her pre-time travel memories and Teddy staying along for the ride. Harry is very not happy with this turn of events but makes the best of it and takes over Umbridge's job then eventually starts dating Tonks (Nymphadora not Andromeda, Andi is still very much with Ted). It's a very sweet fic with a bit of an unusual premise. Father!Harry being a time traveler is definitely something that you don't see every day! This is another completed fic as well which is always nice.


	11. Exodus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Again, thanks to my beta, Grey Raven 09. This chapter is a bit of a beast, and definitely longer than the norm for this fic so I hope everyone enjoys the extra portion. Also, Happy New Year!

**Chapter 11: Exodus**

"Dear can you get that? I have breakfast on the stove!" Dora heard her mother yell from beyond the door's boundary as the ring of the doorbell died. She snorted in amusement at the "Yes, dear," reply. Her father was a wonderful man and a fantastic lawyer, but he was also a person who chose his battles well. A battle over getting the door was not a winning battle. Especially not when loss of breakfast was the losing condition.

As the door opened her father stared at her for a brief instant before a smile spread from ear to ear and he reached forward to pull her into a hug. "Dora! Welcome home sweetheart. You're just in time; your mother has pancakes and bacon almost done."

"That's good to know Dad, but I'm not really here for food," Dora replied chuckling. She allowed herself a few moments to bask in the warmth of the hug before pulling back. Her hair shifted to match Ted's chocolate brown as she stepped into the foyer and followed him into the kitchen. "Wotcher, Mum. How're things in the land of the outcasts?"

"Same as usual," Andromeda replied. Dora didn't have to see her mother's face to see the eye roll accompanying the reply. "Sit. Food. Then business."

"I really don't have time, Mum, I – " Dora cut off as Andromeda gestured offhand with the wooden spatula and she was forcibly shoved into the nearby kitchen table and a plate flew from the cabinet to land in front of her with silverware right behind it.

"Sit. Food. Then business."

Dora resisted the urge to groan at her mother's antics though just barely. Their one-upmanship games could become rather interesting at times if she let herself truly get into them. "Mum, I appreciate the gesture – and the display of wandless spellwork is impressive by the way – but this is actually important. And I really do have a few other stops to make."

"Compromise then?" Ted asked with a smile. He sat himself down across from Dora and poured them both some juice. "Business _while_ we eat? Andi honey, does that work?" He winked at Dora as Andromeda sighed dramatically and flipped off the stove.

"Fine, fine. But you promise to finish at least one pancake before you leave or so help me, girl!"

"Mum!"

"What? You're skinny!"

"Because I work out, Mum! And in case you forgot I'm a Metamorph," Dora retorted. "I can be as fat or as skinny as I want." Just for emphasis she ballooned her belly out to Slughorn levels until Andromeda glared at her then dropped it back down to normal.

As the food was plated her father looked over to Dora shoving half of the pancake into her too-large-for-normal-humans mouth and smirked. "So, Dora, to what do we owe this honor?"

She glared around the huge mouthful of food at him and completely ignored his chuckles. It was her own fault for being greedy of course, but she'd never let _him_ know that. Finally swallowing, she took a breath and sat up straighter before replying. "Mum, Dad, you need to pack up the home, and leave the country. As soon as possible. I'll be following behind you as will my cousins; all three of them."

Ted's fork clattered to his plate and his mouth fell open. Andromeda's response was far more measured though the way her eyes narrowed and the tightening of her fingers on the knife belied her actual feelings on Dora's proclamation. "And just how what is causing this declaration of doom, child?"

"Voldemort is on the cusp of returning and we're abandoning the country."

"But, but you're an Auror!" Ted exclaimed pointing a finger at her. "How can you just _leave_?! Dora! We taught you better than this! And – "

"Ted," Andromeda laid a soft hand on his arm and he quieted though the scathing glare he directed towards his wife did force a grimace onto her face. Andromeda turned back to Dora and waved towards her. "Go on, sweetheart. Obviously something major has occurred. Why don't you start with why Sirius is included in the list of those we are protecting."

"Wait, that's who you meant by third cousin?" Ted asked scowling. "What the bloody hell makes you think that? The man is a murderer, Andi. She's probably talking about Draco Malfoy."

"Draco?" Dora exclaimed pulling back and nearly hissing the name. Her hair flamed to a vibrant red and her teeth grew pointed. She scowled and had to concentrate hard to get her teeth back to something normal so she could talk. "No. Not Draco. Draco is dead, and good riddance to the little wannabe rapist."

Andromeda nodded. "Harry and Rose?"

"Yes."

"What?" Ted whipped his head back and forth between the two women before finally sighing and pushing his chair back from the table. "This is a Black Family conversation isn't it? I'm not going to be able to follow the two of you at all."

Andromeda grimaced again and squeezed her husband's hand hard. "Honey, that's a good thing. You're a good man. My family is…not."

"Our family is not evil, Mum," Dora said scowling.

"No, but we are not _good_ either. Now go on, Nymphadora. Tell us everything."

Dora nodded. Her hair faded back to a jet black as she started talking. "Sirius is innocent. He was never Secret Keeper, it was Peter. He got screwed by the Aurors who never bothered to question him or give him a trial. When he got out, he tried to protect Harry and Rose from Peter. They found out the truth. Snape tried to kill Sirius and Harry and make Rose his bitch; literally. It didn't work obviously. Lupin lost all of their – and by extension mine – trust after he was more concerned with their relationship than that Snape just tried to use him to murder them. Someone has recently entered Harry into the Tournament this year attempting to get him to a meeting with Voldemort where the wanker is going to be resurrected using Harry in a ritual. We've messed with that original idea enough that things are in flux on that front so we're not sure if he's still planning that or playing speed chess. Right now, all we know for certain is that Voldemort is coming back."

Andromeda nodded. "The two are fully involved then?"

Dora sighed and crossed her arms as she leaned forward on the table. "Please don't tell them that I was the one to tell you."

"I suspected it for a long time, dear. Most of the old families probably do judging by how they interact with each other, both in public and private. Skeeter's story recently just confirmed things. I can read between the lines. Most of what the woman writes it utter horseshit, but there is always a grain of truth somewhere. I will, however, keep your name out of it, should it ever come up," Andromeda replied shrugging.

"Thanks, Mum." Dora snapped her fingers and continued quickly, "Oh, almost forgot, Gabrielle is also with them, so don't forget that. They get touchy about it."

"Understood." Andromeda chuckled. "Now, why are we abandoning Britain entirely? Sirius' treatment is horrid yes, but nothing new and the twins have been rather beset by the public for quite some time."

Dora knew her hair was turning red again and felt her teeth sharpening though she didn't even bother trying to stop it this time. "That's just it, Mum. They've never _not_ been attacked! Every year it's something! Even when they're doing everything they can to help the people around them, all that happens is they get shit on. They saved that Lovegood girl and they nearly get beaten by the Ravenclaws. They show that Sirius didn't get a trial and they are accused of being liars and spellbound. They fight against the Death Eaters at the World Cup and they're a hair's breadth away from being arrested! Now they're being attacked for being cheaters despite this Tournament not being their fault, Skeeter is targeting them, Snape tried to _fucking enslave_ _Rose_ , and Dumbledore wants to separate them and _send her back to her rapist uncle_!" Dora's fists were balled and slammed against the table by the end of her rant and the world had taken on a distinct yellowish tint like it usually did when she truly let herself go. She pulled back and sat back down trying to force the rage down and at minimum get her yellow, slitted eyes back to more normal ones.

"I never should've let you watch those movies as a child. You always did think demons made for the best intimidation," Andromeda sighed, shaking her head. "Okay. So I understand now why we are angry with the Ministry, Hogwarts and Dumbledore in particular. Can I assume that you had a hand in Snape's 'disappearance' as well?"

Dora nodded. "After the fact. Helped with the alibi. It wasn't planned on their part."

"Well that's good to hear at least, though I do hope they are ruthless enough to take the necessary actions. If we are planning to leave the country to Voldemort it could become quite ugly for them."

"Mum…You really, really don't have to worry about those three being ruthless. They can be…scary when they are the warpath. Imagine a focused Aunt Bella with a bit more stability and rounded out between three different people to smooth down the rough edges."

"Oh my, that does sound intimidating. I'm surprised there haven't been more deaths if that's the case," Andromeda said smirking and laughing a bit.

Dora frowned and shook her head. "Mum, things have changed recently. I can't tell you why, it's not my secret to tell. They're more focused, but less stable. The important thing is that I'm trying to make sure that they keep their attention only on the people who deserve it. Helping them get out of the country and get their friends out should make that a lot easier."

"And then we can help them all heal from whatever trauma has caused the change." Andromeda nodded. "You know the cause?"

"I do."

"It's justified?"

"It is."

"And – Nymphadora I need you to be completely honest with me here – do _you_ feel like we are justified with abandoning Britain to its fate? I am not asking you as Harry and Rose's guardian. I am not asking you as their friend. I am asking _you_. Is this the correct course of action? Have the people fallen so far that someone with your principles feels comfortable leaving them to fend for themselves?"

Dora scowled and nodded as she crossed her arms across her chest. "If the people of this country care enough about their safety, then they can fight their own bloody war, mother. I will not protect them after what they have done – and will do – to my family."

Andromeda smiled and reached over the table to squeeze her daughter's hand with a surprising amount of warmth. "I knew I raised you right. I'll get the bags. You finish your bacon and then go collect the other parents on your list, sweetheart."

Ted just looked between the two grinning women and rubbed his temples. "I swear I will _never_ understand this bloody family."

* * *

Sirius Black whistled as he strolled up the long walkway towards the front door of the mansion ahead of him. It wasn't quite as lavish as the Malfoys or as nondescript as his old family manor however it was quite impressive. The gargoyles and the hedge maze just visible around the side where very nice touches indeed.

He grinned as the front door swung open just before he could raise his hand to knock. It was oh so nice to have some punctual friends. "Catherine! Long time no see! How have you been?"

"Better than you, Sirius," Catherine Greengrass replied, her wand pointed towards his groin. Her husband standing just behind her was a bit more kind with his wand pointed towards Sirius' chest. "Azkaban not suit you, old friend?"

"Nah, the meals were shite and the guards weren't very chatty. But why talk about old abodes? I'm here to talk about new ones! Nice place by the way. You could probably use a fountain though." He gestured vaguely towards the front lawn and shrugged.

"I told you it needed a water piece," Marcus Greengrass murmured to his wife. Shaking his head he continued louder. "Why are you here, Mr. Black? We remained neutral during the last war and have no interest in aligning with the Dark Lord's faction openly during the coming one either. If you are here to intimidate us, I respectfully request you leave our property."

Sirius clutched his heart and gasped. "Intimidate? Little old me? Never! I already told you, I'm here to talk about new accommodations." He paused for long enough that Catherine's wand twitched and her eyes narrowed. Finally Sirius rolled his eyes and said, "And I'm not with Snake Face. I never was. Ask your wife, she knows me better than that Lord Greengrass. I'm here on behalf of Harry and Rose Potter, Gabrielle Delacour, and your daughter, Daphne."

"What proof do we have that you support the Potters?" Catherine asked frowning. "From what I understand you were their Secret Keeper. Their great betrayer in fact."

Sirius scowled. "Peter did a really good frame job without having to actually try that hard on that one. To answer your question, Cat, Astoria's favorite color is sea glass green colored red and pink by seashells. Now is that _actually_ her favorite color or is it just a funny passphrase? Because if it is, your daughter is beyond adorable!"

Catherine and Marcus immediately both lowered their wands and laughed as smiles crossed their faces. Both moved back from the door and waved Sirius in behind them. "Believe it or not, it is her favorite color. She only ever describes it that way with family though otherwise it's just 'sea glass green'. Alright, as much as I would love for an explanation as to the past, I get the feeling that the future is more important, Mr. Black," Marcus said still laughing as he led the way to a sitting room and gestured for them all to sit. A house elf popped in and left a plate of biscuits and tea on the table before quickly leaving the trio alone.

"It's Lord Black actually," Sirius replied reaching for a biscuit and nearly melting at the taste. "Mmm, my compliments to the chef! Anyway, my father never took me off the family registry so I'm family head. Funny how things work out eh, Cat?"

"Indeed," Catherine sighed. "Siri, look, we can play this game all day or you can cut to the chase. What's going on?"

"Man, where did the fun loving snake girl I used to know go?" Sirius asked wincing.

"She grew up and had two precocious daughters. Now start talking mister."

Sirius held up his hands and laughed. "Alright, alright, I got it, I got it! So basically, I'm here to tell you that you should start moving as many assets as you can overseas. The Potters are heading to Australia at the end of the school year and while it hasn't been officially confirmed, the Tonks are probably following along."

Marcus frowned as he leaned forward to focus on Sirius better. "Just why do we in particular get this warning?"

"Your oldest has been good to my godchildren. Daphne has helped them out and they have a mutually beneficial arrangement. We weren't sure if she had told you yet to start moving out of the country so we thought in case she had and you hadn't believed her, I'd come over and lend some weight to her words."

"Daphne has mentioned that she's been working for powerful players and helping to clean up messes for them," Catherine said softly. "Well slap my arse and call me Molly, she finally got in with the bloody Potters…How deep in is she? I'm guessing fairly deep if you're doing favors for her."

"My godchildren consider her a full ally and she's rapidly approaching 'friend' status. That's a pretty big deal for them."

Marcus' frown deepened. "Daphne is not the type to make friends. Astoria, certainly; the poor girl doesn't have an ounce of deception or malevolence in her. But Daphne is not a very…pleasant person."

Sirius just shrugged. "I honestly can't comment, Marcus. I've yet to meet her. I only know what Harry and Rose have said and they both trust Daphne has their backs."

"That does sound like her," Marcus said. "If she thought they would allow her to speak for them later on…The Potter twins are notorious about their hatred of being in the limelight after all and Daphne rather basks in playing politics despite her young age. She would fully support them if only to secure them as allies in the future."

"Whatever her motives, as long as she's loyal, that's what matters to them." Sirius leaned back into his seat and steepled his fingers most of the levity leaving his features and his face settling down into the mask of stone that left no illusions about his previous abode. "Catherine, Marcus, make no mistake about what I am telling you. If you value your lives and lives of your daughters you need to leave the country by the end of the school year. Voldemort is on his way back to power and we are not intending to stop him."

Catherine reared back and Marcus blinked repeatedly. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?" she choked out. "The _Potters_ are not fighting the _murderer of their parents_?"

"That's correct," Sirius said. "They never knew their parents. They do however know how the people of the UK have treated them. It has not been kind. From Muggle to Magical, the attitude has been fairly consistent with only a few exceptions. Daphne has been one of those exceptions, so she is being rewarded with a warning. We are leaving Britain to fend for itself and fight its own civil war – without its punching bag figureheads. If you wish to come with us and setup anew with our families' professional relationship intact please feel free. We intend to move to Australia; I'll send you the details shortly."

Marcus wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders and pulled her against his side staring at Sirius. "What happens if we say we wish to stay?" he asked, a note of steel entering his voice.

Sirius shrugged his shoulders ever so slightly. "Then I leave and wish you luck. I'll tell Harry, Rose, and Gabrielle this evening your decision. From there I can pretty much guarantee they will inform your daughter and from the impression I've gotten of her, Daphne isn't going to rest until she has browbeaten you into agreeing to leave. Or at least to let her and Astoria take a few months holiday to see if our information pans out."

Catherine's smile was thin, but genuine. "You're probably right about that. You wouldn't take any reprisals against us or any ensure our silence on this matter?"

"We are not Death Eaters, Cat." Sirius sighed as he leaned forward shaking his head. "The teens are tired and they just want to be left alone. Tonks and I are helping them to get away from everything and everyone. While we do so, we're helping them get the people they consider to be friends to safety as well."

Catherine nodded slowly. "They don't want their allies hurt just because they've decided to leave Britain to reap what it has sown. Okay. Thank you for the warning, Sirius. Marcus and I have much to discuss. I believe we will be moving the majority of our holdings to new territories shortly."

"Good to hear." He smiled as he stood up and shook Marcus' hand before engulfing Catherine in a brief hug. "I hope I'll be seeing you both soon. Alrighty, I better get going. Places to be, things to see, people to do."

"Sirius," Catherine sighed as they walked to the door while rolling her eyes at the man. "If you see my daughter before I do, please tell her that I hope she has chosen her side well."

"She did, Cat. She did."

* * *

"21, 23, ah here we go, 25." Dora smiled as she finally found the correct address for the Granger residence and stepped up gate. It was a quaint little house in the suburbs complete with a picket fence and everything. The rather expensive car in the driveway was quite impressive. "Guess dentistry pays well," she muttered to herself as she stopped at the door and knocked. This was supposed to be their day off so hopefully they would be home and this wouldn't be a waste of time.

Happily, the door quickly swung open after only a few seconds revealing a middle-aged man who was quite obviously Hermione's father. Dora had only met the bookworm two or three times, but the bushy hair was memorable. While the man didn't have much in the way of hair, it was more than enough to show just where Hermione had received her genes from. Plus, Dora made it a point to internalize faces as a rule anyway just in case she ever needed to morph into someone specific and his features strongly reminded her of Hermione.

"Hello. Can I help you?"

"Wotcher, I'm Dora Tonks," Dora said thrusting her hand forward and grinning wide. "I know your daughter, though I'm more friends with her friends: Harry and Rose Potter. I'm technically their guardian if you want to be all official about it."

Mr. Granger raised one hand to cover his mouth while his other reached out to take the proffered handshake. "Oh my! You're _that_ Tonks! Hermione has told us so much about you and how amazing you were to take her friends in like that. Please, come in. How can I help you?"

"Aww, that's sweet. Thanks, Mr. Granger." Just for fun, as the door closed Dora changed her hair to a bright bubblegum pink. The ear-to-ear grin from the man was totally worth it.

"Please, dear, it's Richard. You're not in school anymore after all."

"Yeah, thank Merlin for that," Dora agreed sitting down on the arm of the proffered easy chair while Richard took the main couch. "Is your wife home too?"

"She's at the gym actually. Why, is this about Hermione?" Richard asked.

Dora did an odd head shake and nod that almost unbalanced her enough to knock her from her perch. Momentarily cursing her own clumsiness Dora said, "No, not really, but also yes sorta. So both yes and no. Essentially, we need to talk about what's going down in a few weeks and some preparations that your family should really be taking starting right now."

"That doesn't sound very promising," Richard said the smile dropping from his face and his posture straightening up. "I'd even go as far as saying that almost sounds downright ominous."

Dora nodded and let her hair shift back to a muted black. "It's supposed to."

"Perhaps we should back up a bit then." Richard rubbed the bridge of his nose and frowned. "Are we in immediate danger? I gather Hermione is not, otherwise she would be here with you, or you would be conducting this meeting in a far more urgent fashion."

Dora chuckled. "Oh yeah, definitely see the family relation here. The danger isn't immediate, no, but it's going to become so within a few months at minimum, possibly sooner. How much has Hermione told you about the Blood War a few decades back?"

"Next to nothing," Richard said snorting. "I believe she was trying to sugarcoat the Wizarding World's history. She forgets however that she is not the only one with access to books and other resources. Squibs can apparently enter Diagon Alley without issues so even when she is away at school, it's fairly easy for my wife and I to do a bit of research on our own into this world that Hermione is a part of. We will not lose our daughter just because she has magic and we don't."

Dora was shocked by that little tidbit of information enough that she did fall off her perch onto the chair proper. "Wait, wait, wait! You two are Squibs?!"

"Hmm? Oh, no not us! They are easy to find though once you know what to look for. Disillusioned folk who seemingly pop up out of nowhere with such a disturbing lack of life skills and knowledge that you wonder how they ever managed to _live_ beforehand? That's a Squib. Every. Time." Richard shrugged and pointed towards a rolodex on the desk in the corner. "I have a weekly golf game with three Squibs now, a bowling tournament with another group and Amber has set up a book club with some of the others."

Dora gaped wider than should be possible for a normal mouth to open. It took her almost ten seconds to recover. "Okay. You two, you guys are scary. No wonder Rose and Gabi turned to your daughter for help when they needed to break the bloody universe."

"Break the universe?" Richard asked frowning. He leaned forward and cupped his hands together. "Now this is getting interesting. We're not just talking theoretical are we?"

"Yeah, I'm not saying anymore on that topic." Dora shook her head and waved her hands in front of her. "I've said _way_ too much already, and you probably will already figure it out before we're done as it is if you can apparently track down half the country's Squibs without even trying."

"Fair enough."

"So. Yeah, Blood War. You know about it apparently. Voldemort is coming back fairly soon. If you've been following the Triwizard Tournament you can probably read between the lines there."

Richard sighed and leaned back, nodding. "We were all getting a bit worried that it seemed to be heading in that direction what with poor Harry's inclusion. The boy is violently protective of his sister; he'd _never_ _willingly_ let himself be entered into a deadly competition that could take his protection away from her. If he's being setup and the Death Eaters are active again, it stands to reason that Voldemort is on the rise."

Dora scowled and tried to wring the Minister's neck by willpower alone. "Why can't we have more people using logic in the magical world? This would be _easy_ then! Arg!"

"It's probably better not to ask that question, dear. That way leads to madness," Richard said with a smirk.

"You're telling me. Okay, well this is going a heck of a lot easier than I had expected. Look, when he comes back, I'm taking the Potters and some friends and we're leaving. We're planning to head to Australia. I know that Sally-Anne Perks is already enrolled in Beauxbatons so if you want to keep Hermione in one of the other major institutes while getting the hell out of Dodge that's a good option."

That finally seemed to set Richard off balance as he sucked in a large breath and pulled back from her as if he'd been hit. "You're not intending to fight these psychopaths? What about everyone – " He cut off and frowned. A moment later he got up and headed towards the desk in the corner. Returning with a paper in hand he flipped the page and Dora saw an image of the _Daily Prophet_. Her hair flipped momentarily to orange before she pulled it back under control. Rita wasn't worth the rage. Not just yet at least. That was for later…

"Well…fuck," Richard muttered as he flipped the page again. He tossed the paper onto the table and fell back onto the couch with a heavy sigh. "Your kids have given up on the populace and with this thing you don't even care to try to talk them out of it do you?"

Dora shook her head and gave him a small, sad smile that did nothing to touch her eyes. "It's a lot more than just the paper and the population of idiots, Richard. Those three have a bad life. They just want to be left alone and that's never going to happen here. I can't ask them to fight a war that they have no business being a part of. Especially not for people who keep trying to hurt them every time the opportunity arises. It's not right and it's not what family does for each other."

"No, no it isn't. Dammit." He wiped a hand down his face and fell silent. Dora let him think for a few minutes. Finally he continued on softly. "The good side isn't going to win is it?"

"I'm not really so sure there _is_ a good side anymore, Richard," Tonks replied just as muted.

"The Ministry isn't ready for a war. Not without a figurehead to lead it."

"Dumbledore will still be here. There's a chance."

"Fudge won't allow it. He's a fool of the highest caliber, we had one of his ilk a few years back on our side of the veil. He'll sideline the Headmaster while steeped in denial and that'll be that."

Dora smirked, her eyes no longer seeing the living room but Voldemort and Dumbledore dueling each other on the parade ground. "Oh don't worry about that. We're going to make _damn_ sure that Voldy and Dumbles have a nice little battle out in public before we go. We can't expect to be left alone unless both sides are too busy dealing with each other to come looking for little old us."

Richard nodded. "Good strategy. I doubt it'll work, but it gives you a head start at least." He slapped his knees and stood up to grab a piece of paper and a pen proffering it to her. "Here, I don't suppose you happen to have a telephone do you? Or the address to your new abode? Hermione's going to want to write."

"Don't have the address yet, but I'll give you my number," Dora replied taking the pad. "Do you intend to leave as well?"

"Most likely. I'll have to talk it over with Amber, but I imagine we will be moving, yes. We'll probably go to France though rather than Australia. All three of us speech French to varying degrees and we have a relative with a summer home there that we can borrow for a bit until the practice is sold. I'll have to tell our friends here as well you understand. I'm not abandoning them."

"Of course. Just keep it as quiet for now as you can."

Richard snorted. "Oh no worries about that. Who would believe me anyway? I can't exactly say that I got my warning from the foreknowledge of a set of time-traveling twins, their half-bird girlfriend, and their shape-shifting guardian angel."

Dora groaned and slapped her forehead. "Not. One. Word."

Richard laughed and mimed zipping his lips shut. "Amber and I shall take their secret to our graves. Go, Dora Tonks, go, you have a lot to do and I have a practice to sell and a group of angry Squibs to round up!"

* * *

Tracey Davis glared at the second year that had the misfortune to step into her path as she walked back to her dorm room. The poor kid took one look at the twitching vein on her forehead and her narrowed eyes and immediately held up his hands in surrender and scurried away in the opposite direction. His reaction just increased her bad mood further. It wasn't _her_ fault that she was scaring little kids now was it? When had being 'Slytherin' meant being a bloody evil, conniving bastard?

This wasn't what she'd signed on for.

Slamming the door to the room Tracey stalked over to Daphne's bed and crossed her arms over her chest tapping her foot on the floor. She waited just long enough for her oldest friend to acknowledge her presence before launching into her tirade. "Six. Hours. _Six. Bloody. Fucking. HOURS_! I had to play nice and friendly with those pigs and their bitchy whore for _six hours_ ,Daphne!"

"…Congratulations?" Daphne said cocking her head to one side and peering up at Tracey. Her confusion just had the brunette grinding her teeth in anger.

"What am I getting out of this information? You want me to be a Slytherin? Fine. I'll play your petty game, Daph. I had to laugh at their jokes and let them ogle me for hours. Vincent _slapped_ my fucking _arse_. And I had to pretend to _like it_! You owe me! BIG! Now what am I getting!"

Daphne just continued to stare at her for another moment before her face lit up and a shark-like grin spread on her face as she jumped to clasp hands with Tracey. "Minions 1 and 2 and Airhead 1? So they do actually know how Rita gets onto the grounds without anyone knowing? Excellent! This is fantastic!"

"My payment, Daph." If Daphne wanted her to play the part of the evil snake, she'd be the evil bloody snake. No one dismissed Tracey Davis as a mere hanger-on.

"Yes, of course." Daphne stood up straight and let her hands fall back to her side, adopting the regal family pose that she used whenever she was involved in formal business. Tracey despised that pose so much. "A warning for the info. Acting on said warning in order to affect an appropriate response is your prerogative. I recently received word from my family that we are already taking our own measures so I highly recommend you don't simply ignore it, though if you want to take your chances I can't really stop you."

"That's it? Bullshit. Not worth it. Get someone else to be your errand boy."

"It is a _very_ important warning."

Tracey outwardly scowled deeper putting Snape to shame. Inwardly she was caving. If Daphne was willing to trade the warning for dirt on Skeeter this might be a very important indeed. Daphne was anything but impulsive. "I want a favor too; to be determined later."

Daphne nodded almost immediately. "Deal. Now tell me, how does she do it?!"

Tracey hissed and resisted the urge to scream. "Why do I get the feeling that this was what you had expected me to ask for?"

"Because you're smart, sweetie. Now please, Tracey, stop stalling."

"Oh you are so infuriating!" Tracey yelled kicking the bed and gasping at the pain in her toe before glaring at the bed and her friend in turn. "If that was your angle then I want more. A date too."

Daphne frowned and crossed her arms, considering. "That is asking for a bit much, Tracey. You know that I don't really harbor romantic feelings for anyone at this point."

"You were quick enough to loosen your shirt when Cho Chang had the answers to that test last semester," Tracey retorted.

"That was business not pleasure," Daphne replied with a sigh. "I'm trying not to get your hopes up. How about we compromise with a kiss?"

"Arg, fine, whatever!" Tracey exclaimed throwing her hands to the ceiling in defeat. "I feel like I can never win with you! She's an animagus. A stupid, fat, little beetle thing with little circle marks on the back that look kinda like eyeglasses supposedly. What's the warning?"

"Oh of course she'd be something small and mobile, I should've suspected that…" Daphne shook her head and sighed. "Stupid. Alright, well you certainly earned that reward, Tracey. Here's your warning. Get out. Get your father to listen to you by any means necessary and get the hell out of this country as soon as the school year is over."

Tracey froze, the throbbing in her foot and the simmering need to smash something forgotten in an instant. Twisting slowly to fixate fully on Daphne, she said, "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Use whatever influence you have as the Heir of your House, Tracey and convince your father to get your family out of the line of fire. I don't know exactly what's coming though I have my suspicions. All I know for certain is that my allies are powerful and they are pulling back and have advised me to do so as well. My family sent me a letter this morning explaining that we are moving to Australia this summer as well. I can read between the lines Tracey as can you."

"The Greengrasses are leaving Britain? You're a central family, one of the Sacred 28!"

"And that should tell you just how serious this is," Daphne said all joking and playfulness absent from her voice. Daphne let out of a soft sigh and reached out to squeeze Tracey's hand. "Tracey, I know I am not always a good friend. I know that I am not a particularly pleasant person, yet trust me when I say this: I would like to see you safe. Please leave this country when the year is over. Even if your father won't go with you, enroll in Beauxbatons or Mahoutokoro or Ilvermorny or Durmstrang, I don't care. Just get somewhere safe. You're a half-blood in Slytherin, Tracey. You're marked. You _need_ to _leave_."

Tracey gulped and nodded slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, maybe you're right. I'll talk to my dad. Can I wait until the school year is over?"

"I think so. I hope so. I haven't been told otherwise and my patrons are rather protective so I think you're fine to wait until school has ended. But watch yourself. Be careful, Trace; just in case."

"I will, Daph. I…thanks," Tracey murmured.

"Of course. I have few friends. I would like to keep those that I do have alive," Daphne said pulling her hand back and smiling wide. She shook herself and just like that the persona was back in place. "Now, if you'll excuse me I have a message to deliver."

The door swung shut before Tracey fully realized that Daphne was gone. With a sigh she sank down onto her bed. "I didn't even get my kiss…"

* * *

Rita Skeeter was riding on cloud nine. It had been a week and people were still talking about her latest article. That was nearly a century to a reporter. Well, to a reporter like _her_ at least. She had to stay relevant after all and ensuring that her name forever remained on household lips was the way to do it. If she had to bend the truth a little bit here and there or embellish things every so often – okay, more often than not, but really who cared? – then really why shouldn't she take such steps? It was only the news after all. It's not like this was important.

If people were stupid enough to believe everything she wrote just because she wrote it how could that be her fault?

"Bozo get in here," she called out to her cameraman as he walked past her office. She had an office now! She'd never had an office before those stupid little twins started being making themselves such prime story material. Now at the rate she was going she was liable to have an entire _wing_! "Bozo, I need an opinion. Do we angle the next story on Harry Potter's obsession with Dark Magic or do we angle it on his obsession with his sister? We could always go for Rose Potter's lust for the female form too I suppose. That's sure to drum up the old buzzards."

"Dark Magic seems to be on the rise lately Rita. I'd say go with that," Bozo said nodding towards one of the articles she had laid out on the desk in front of her.

Rita nodded in thought. She rubbed her chin, shrugged and reached out to take the paper in hand. "Thank you Bozo that's all." As he walked out the door she frowned at the article, crumpled it into a ball and threw it over her shoulder. "Dark Magic, hmph. Tripe. No one cares about Dark Magic right now. Lesbians, that's where it's at! Rose Potter, it's time for your day in the limelight." Before she could reach for the other piece of parchment a voice rang out from the front of the office cutting through the hubbub of the _Daily Prophet_.

"Rita! Where is Rita? Rita! Get out here Rita!"

Rita scrambled to get around her desk and lunge into the central chambers of the room. Her editor was notorious for giving assignments to random people if he couldn't find the person he was looking for. Why he hadn't just gone to her office now that she had one though…well it didn't matter, she was here and she was going to get the assignment! "Johnson! I'm here, Johnson. Over here!"

"Oh good, you are here. Excellent," her editor said nodding and crossing his arms. Rita frowned; Johnson always said if you had time to cross your arms you had time to write. "Got word from a wealthy donor a few minutes ago. Their kid goes to Hogwarts. Apparently they have a juicy little tidbit. Requested you specifically. Something about how you already know the way in."

Rita's eyes widened and a shark's grin split her features. It had to be Parkinson. The little trollop had something new for her on the Potters. It was bound to be mostly useless, but whatever it was it would give her a perfect excuse to use a good quote for her next article and possibly even inspiration for the follow-on story. "Did they say what it was about, Johnson?"

"Of course not and I didn't ask. I'm just the editor, you expect me to track down your stories for you? That's what I pay _you_ for, Rita." He sneered at her. "Now do you want this or do you want me to give it Eddy."

A muscle-bound man perked his head up over a cubicle with a camera hanging over his neck. The predatory gleam apparent from across the room. Rita scoffed at her 'colleague' and glared at Johnson. "As if anyone could do this better than me. I'll head over right away."

"No you won't."

"Excuse me?"

"They said to meet them at 6am tomorrow morning on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest near the Whomping Willow. Kids these days, they all think they're some sort of secret spy."

Rita chuckled along with him and rolled her eyes. "Yes, indeed they do. Alright, I'll be there. Thanks for the tip, Johnson. BOZO! Get your camera; we have to get the next issue ready immediately!"

* * *

Dora apparated onto the street near the Perks' residence a few minutes after she'd managed to shake off the reporters from the _Daily Prophet_. Becoming that sleazy editor had been utterly disgusting and the urge to take a shower was almost overwhelming. The man almost seemed to have no sense of personal hygiene not to mention his horrendous taste in 'stories' and 'editorials'. Shaking herself, Dora cast yet another cleaning charm over her clothes and tried to fix a smile onto her features. She had to keep up appearances after all and this was her last stop of the day.

She'd barely knocked before the door had been pulled open and a snobby, well-dressed couple looked out at her, rolled their eyes, stepped to the side, and waved her in. Dora's smile faltered though her steps, thankfully, did not as she followed Sally-Anne's parents into their living room. "Wotcher. So, err, I'm guessing you were expecting me…"

Mrs. Perks nodded and handed Dora a card from a bowling alley. Dora frowned trying to determine what she was supposed to be doing with that. "Richard called, dear."

Richard, Richard…Oh! Dora resisted a groan as the card suddenly made much more sense. "Ah. Well, I take it you're up to speed already then?"

"You've wasted a trip, Ms. Tonks," Mrs. Perks said rubbing the bridge of her nose and scowling. "Sally-Anne was already being removed from that death trap they call a school, long before Richard called, and ages before your kids finally decided to wise up. The only reason we waited so long was because she begged us to give it a chance. I'm sorry but dragons rampaging around in front of hundreds of guests are the last bloody straw! Now you tell us that a megalomaniac is about to be on the loose again? Yes, she may be annoyed with us for a time, but she's gone the instant that train pulls in. If I could get my money back, I'd have pulled her out at the winter hols."

"Right…Well then, I guess I'll just head off…" Dora said looking awkwardly between the two parents.

Mr. Perks chuckled and held out a full tea cup he'd grabbed from a tray near the kitchen. "Tea before you go, Ms. Tonks?"

"Oh I don't…" she paused mid-refusal and shook her head. "Yeah, sure, why not. Might as well make this trip worth something right?"

* * *

At the same time that Dora was drinking her tea in the Perks' living room, Sirius was being ushered into the sitting room of the Longbottom residence by a rather confused house elf. As the elf popped away Sirius politely sipped from his own teacup and glanced around the room waiting for the matron of the home to arrive. He didn't have to wait long. Augusta Longbottom strode into the room with her cane, leaning down on it like a perch and looking at him like a particularly annoying insect.

Sirius let the silence grow for nearly 30 seconds before he caved. "I swear, I will never understand how you make me feel like I'm five years old again, Augusta."

"It is a learned skill, Black," Neville's grandmother replied levelly. She shook her head slowly and her gaze fell into a far less severe expression. The lines leveled out and she looked more her age instead of someone closer to Dumbledore. "So did someone finally spring you or did you break yourself out, boy?"

"Technically I got bored and just walked out," Sirius replied as his eyes crossed. "This is not how I envisioned this conversation going. Aren't you going to ask if I'm a crazed murderer or something?"

Augusta shrugged. "Why should I? You would no more betray James Potter than I would feed Neville to a Devil's Snare."

"…And when did you decide this?" Sirius asked his voice carefully neutral.

"Oh the instant they put you away," Augusta said shrugging. I did try to raise a fuss and get your case looked at but when Frank was attacked it slipped my priority list. By the time I realized no one else cared, the Longbottom name no longer carried enough weight to override Malfoy's gold. I wasn't willing to waste Neville's inheritance for a boy I barely knew – beyond the troublemaking brat who almost burned down my observatory during the Beltane celebration of course.

Sirius winced. "Yeah, okay, I deserve that."

"You do, though I am certain you have paid for it and many other things over the ensuing decade. Now, what are you here for, boy?"

Sirius set his tea cup down and clasped his hands together making an effort to reign in the urge to crack the obvious joke about seducing an eligible, older woman. Something told him that wouldn't exactly earn him any points with Augusta. "Ma'am, I don't know just how much Neville has told you about events at Hogwarts over the past few years, but – "

"Neville has said quite little," she cut in with a snort of amusement. "I sometimes wonder if he realizes I am on the Board of Directors. I am fully aware of all recent happenings including trolls, petrifications, werewolves, and Tournaments with illegal contestants, Black. Continue."

"There you go making me feel like a child again," Sirius muttered. "Alright fine, we'll cut the small talk. The bastard who is the reason that your son was attacked and tortured into insanity and my friends were killed is pretty much about to come back to power if he hasn't already."

"Do you mean Voldemort, Bellatrix, the Lestrange brothers, or Crouch Jr.?"

"Voldemort."

Augusta frowned and shook her head. "No, I'm sorry, but I have a rather hard time believing that. Lily Potter was an _exceptional_ witch. If she put her mind to something, then it. Got. Done. Voldemort is dead and he is not coming back. Now I understand that his lieutenants are on the move again, that much if obvious enough, someone had to enter Lily's boy into the Tournament after all."

"Augusta, believe me, it's him. We have a great deal of reliable information on this and the twins encountered him in person just the other year. Peter went to go find him and help him return when he got away last year. It's Voldemort. He's coming back."

"Even if I believed that fantasy, why does it matter? Why bother informing me instead of someone like Amelia Bones or Albus Dumbledore?"

Sirius sighed and leaned back into the couch gazing at the ceiling for a long moment before replying. "Dumbledore has known for a long time and taken very few measures of any worth. We're going to make sure that he's more active this time than the last go round, but that's about all we can hope for on that round, Augusta. As for Amelia…honestly my faith in her eroded rather heavily when I saw neither hide nor hair of her after I was locked up."

Augusta nodded slowly. "I suppose I can understand a boy scorned at least. Not that I am saying I agree with this at all, of course. Even still, you have yet to say why you are coming to me. Do you expect me to coordinate getting a resistance together? I am getting too old for such a thing."

"No," Sirius shook his head and focused back on the woman across from him. "Ma'am, I'm here to tell you that the Potters, and many of their friends and allies, are leaving Britain at the end of the school year. The country has abandoned them for too long and – "

"No."

Sirius ground to a halt and blinked at her. "I'm sorry, what?"

"No."

"No, what?"

"You are going to try to convince me and my grandson to leave alongside you. No. This is my home, this is my son's home, this is my grandson's home. No. You can do whatever you wish, Sirius Black. You can take your godchildren and your allies and whoever you've convinced and you can run like a dog with its tail between its legs, but we're staying here. We will weather the storm as we have done for the past centuries."

Sirius frowned and considered this. "That is…not what you are supposed to say…" Rose and Gabrielle had assured him that Augusta had been intending to get Neville out of the country once the war started heating up. What the heck had changed? Or, perhaps, maybe things just hadn't gotten bad enough yet? She only sent him away after Harry was sent through a kangaroo court after all and if they could do that to a Potter, who was to say that they couldn't do it to a Longbottom?

"Augusta, look, I get that this is your home, I do. But you and Neville are the last Longbottoms. You can't seriously consider letting him stay here if a war is going to restart."

"Neville is a pureblood and if the majority of you are leaving, he will be mostly associating with purebloods anyway." Augusta shrugged. "Should things grow truly dire I can always send him away to alternative education later. But we have not _nearly_ approached such a point, Black. Now unless you have hard proof to show me that Britain is about to end in fire and flames in the next few months I suggest you finish your biscuit and continue on your way. You won't be convincing me and, I assure you, I am a far better duelist than my age and appearance belie."

Sirius scowled. "I believe it. Augusta, this isn't the smart course, but it's your life and I can't tell you how to live it. Just make sure you don't get Neville hurt because you're stuck on being a stubborn old bint like usual."

"I will endeavor to keep that in mind, Black. Rest assured, I do love my grandson dearly. Should the situation change, I will take all appropriate measures required."

"I'm going to hold you to that, lady," he snarled.

* * *

Rose whimpered in her sleep rolling to the side and curling into a tighter ball around Harry's arm clutching her to his chest. She wasn't very conscious of him, but she drew comfort from the contact all the same. It was little help against the recurrent nightmare though.

"Kill them! KILL THEM YOU USELESS CREATURE!" Voldemort screamed from the back of Quirrell's head. Now that the Philosopher's Stone was shattered all of his plans were going up in ashes and he not about to let anyone walk away in one piece. Rose tackled Harry to the ground as curses sailed through the air where her brother had been standing moments before. His eyes snapped open as they fell to the ground and his head bounced off the rough rock of the corridor. Rose winced at the crack though Harry barely even seemed to notice. She rolled them to the side as more violet and green curses snapped towards them.

Harry's hand pulled away from his scar and he pushed her to the side with a hard shove knocking her away from Quirrellmort's follow-on spells. She gasped as something sharp dug into her side and drew blood. Rose scrambled over a fallen rock and reached down to pull the offending item from her stomach. She whimpered at the pain the bright orange rock sliver brought as she yanked it out of her side, then watched in fascination as the blood on the rock seemed to flow into the stone a moment after being removed. The pain in her side also vanished almost instantly once the object was pulled out. Before Rose could chuck it to the side her mouth formed a wide 'o' and she gasped. "Philosopher's Stone. Bloody Hell. Bloody. Hehehe," chuckling at her own unintended pun – and just aware enough to realize how much of a bad sign that laughter probably was considering the situation – Rose closed her fist around the sliver of Stone.

She shook her head trying to regain some sense and risked a glance around the side of the rock attempting to find her wand. A spell impacted just to the side of her face sending shrapnel flying and cutting her cheek, forcing her to immediately pull back. Almost without thinking, Rose thrust the slice of the Stone into her pocket.

How had she let the bastard the disarm her?

Where were the teachers?

How was this happening?

How had she let him destroy the Stone?

Why was it just her and Harry down here?

How was this _happening_?!

_***$ !* WHY WAS HER BROTHER RUNNING TOWARDS QUIRRELLMORT?! *! $*** _

Four voices rang out almost simultaneously as Rose's world crashed down around her.

"You will not touch her!"

" _HARRY!_ "

"Why won't you die?!"

"Kill him!"

Time seemed to stop. Harry roared as his hands stretched out before him towards Quirrellmort in his mad charge. Quirrellmort's wand was rising, the tip starting to glow a deep purple. Rose jumped up and started to sprint towards Harry, all thoughts of caution thrown to the wind as panic set in. Harry let out a primal roar of rage and hatred, leaping at his foe. Quirrellmort's spell left his wand impacting Harry's chest, the purple flames burning the last of his shirt away before dissolving into his chest. Harry's eyes went dead as Rose watched his momentum carry him into Quirrellmort, his body slamming into the monster and bearing the former teacher to the ground with a shrill scream. Rose shrieked as well, her own anguish nearly as pain-filled as Quirrellmort's. The man struggled to lift Harry's dead weight off of his face and finally managed to roll Harry off of him.

Unfortunately for the villainous man, Rose had closed the distance and jumped. Her face twisted into a snarl of rage and hatred just as vicious as Voldemort's had been a few minutes before, she landed feet first on Quirrell's bright red, inflamed, boil-ridden head.

Quirrell did not survive the contact.

"THIS ISN'T OVER CHILD! We'll meet again!" Voldemort's shade screeched as it rose from Quirrell's body and fled the room. Rose barely even registered that it had spoken. She was too busy cradling the still form of her brother. Harry wasn't breathing. His eyes were open and dull and he wasn't breathing. She could barely even see as the tears fell heavier and heavier from her eyes.

"Please no, please no, please no, please no, please no, please no," she murmured again and again as she held him against her chest. "Not like this. You can't leave me alone. You can't die. We're supposed to stay together. We're always supposed to stay together. You can't leave me alone. Please no, please no, please no."

Rose rocked back and forth with Harry hardly able to breathe through her sobs and mantra. He couldn't die, he couldn't. She'd never survive on her own. She didn't know how to live without him. He was always there, always protecting her, always her rock, always the one who – _the ROCK_! Rose's breath caught and her throat closed up. She thrust her hand into her pocket digging madly. A moment later a strangled shout of triumph rang through the room as she held her prize to the heavens. The bright orange shard glinted in the light.

Rose didn't stop to think. If she stopped to think it probably wouldn't work. Flitwick and Tonks both always said that magic was always more about feeling, believing, and intent than the actual words, movements, or spells. Those were flavorings to put a person into the right frame of mind to shape magic and give it a goal, a pathway to follow to reach the endstate. Well Rose had a _very_ clear goal in mind and she had a tool on hand that was supposed to be able to grant life. Granted the tool was broken and a mere fraction of what it once was…but it was enough. It would have to be enough. Screaming, Rose slammed brought her hand down thrusting the sliver of Philosopher's Stone into Harry's chest right above his heart.

She sobbed as she clutched at the arm wrapped around her holding her tight. That wasn't right. She was the one holding onto Harry. How could he hold her when she was holding him? He was dead. He wouldn't come back. He was still dead. Voldemort had killed him. Voldemort always killed him. And when Voldemort didn't kill him, Umbridge did; or Fudge; or Snape; or a nameless wizard that found out about them; or a –

Below her, Harry gasped and his back arched before his eyes opened and he murmured softly to her. "Shh, I'm here, Rose, I'm here. I'm right here." She whimpered and squeezed into a smaller ball around the arm. "I'm not going anywhere. Together to the end."

"I am here as well, _mon cœur_." Rose dimly felt another arm drape over her and snake into the snarled mess of limbs. Rose just sobbed again and clung to the anchor pulling it closer.

"Is it always this bad?"

"No, usually she wakes up when it gets this bad." A soft hand brushed a strand of hair off of her wet forehead. "She's already halfway to us. Let her wake on her own otherwise we'll have to memory charm half your dorm when she starts fighting everything in sight that is not us."

"You can't be sure she's fighting in the nightmare can you?"

" _She_ almost never fights in her memories, 'arry. She remembers you fighting. Except now she knows how to fight back so when she wakes she lashes out at the threat. We destroyed many hotel rooms before we learned to start using sleeping potions or just let it run its course."

"This hasn't happened before, Ella. Not since we've been back."

"It comes and it goes. She has periods when it gets bad for a few weeks. I looked it up a while back. I think she has something like what the Muggles call PTSP, no wait, PTSB, no…PTS _D_ , that's it. Your conversation with Dumbledore the other day likely triggered it. I've been expecting this, that's why I've been sleeping with you two for the past few days."

"I had wondered."

"You could've asked, 'arry."

"It seemed like an awkward question, plus, I'm not exactly complaining; two beautiful girls in my bed and all."

Rose heard a snort from above her head. "We are bonded, you are both my Mates. You don't have to worry about awkward questions, 'arry. The compliment is appreciated though."

"Noted."

Rose shuddered and blinked open her eyes. She took in a shaking breath and found herself staring at Gabrielle's breasts through a fairly sheer nightgown. A shiver ran through her and she leaned forward to place a gentle kiss in the center of her Veela partner's chest while her brother squeezed her from behind.

"Hey, Rosie," Harry murmured.

"Morning guys," she replied softly. "Sorry."

"No need to apologize, _mon cœur_. You are awake now and the nightmare will fade."

Rose just nodded, brushing her lips against Gabrielle's chest again. Now that the other girl was actually looking her age their interactions weren't nearly as chaste anymore. It was just a shame that Quirrellmort had ruined her libido for this morning. "Yeah, I know. It just sucks. I still say it's a shame that Philosopher's Stone fragment didn't make you immortal or anything Harry."

"Philosopher's Stone…Oh," Harry said pulling up a bit closer to the two girls. "So that's what you were dreaming about. I don't need to be immortal, Rosie. I just need to live long enough to have a good life with you two and I'll be happy. Besides, that thing brought me back once already. I think we only get one miracle in life and even that's pushing it."

Gabrielle laughed. "Well I probably used mine when the world didn't blow up zen with my little experiment in time travel."

"Yeah, let's just stop talking about this stuff and cuddle okay? Please guys, can we just cuddle for a bit? We have our meeting soon and I would really like to calm down beforehand."

She felt two kisses settle on the top of her head as answers and Rose snuggled deeper into the embrace of her lovers and let out of a contented sigh. For at least this moment, all was right with the world.

* * *

Rita settled onto a tree branch on the edge of the Forbidden Forest keeping a careful watch around her. She despised staying in her animagus form for long. While there was no denying the incredible usefulness of the stupid little beetle form, it was also a huge gamble every time she took it. Unlike most animagi, Rita was effectively defenseless in her form. She couldn't fight, couldn't do magic, had no nature defenses, had no poison, and, besides her hearing and smell, most of her senses were dulled as well. On top of all that, she was tiny enough that even a passing bird or enterprising lizard was a credible threat.

Granted, she was _reasonably_ certain she could change back quickly enough to burst out of whatever was attempting to eat her before they actually managed to crack her exoskeleton and kill her…but that wasn't really a bet she was willing to place her life on.

So needless to say, Rita Skeeter was already incredibly annoyed with whichever 'anonymous source' had decided that the middle of the woods at the crack of dawn was a perfectly reasonable timeframe for a clandestine meeting. This was exactly when the worst of her predators would be waking up and getting hungry. If this story wasn't worth every second of danger, then she'd have a new target for tomorrow's front page story.

 _Ah, finally, the brat shows up. A Frenchy? Has that little bitch been spreading my secret around? I'm going to have to nip that in the bud immediately once I get this exclusive._ Rita mentally added another item onto her to-do list and buzzed down towards the Beauxbatons student. She had no idea who the girl was, but that uniform was recognizable enough even to her limited sight. _Let's see what this idiot thinks she has that's newsworthy_.

* * *

Dora waved to Proudfoot and Dawlish as she walked past their desks towards the Director's corner office exactly at 6am. Dawlish blearily waved back knocking over his coffee mug in the process and almost not even seeming to notice while Proudfoot just yawned. "You're in early, Loki. Don't normally see you for another hour or so."

Dora sighed and yawned back in reply making sure to affect a wide stretch of her arms to either side for flavor. She needed to be memorable here but not to stand out as trying too hard. "Yeah, tell me about it. I've had two cups of coffee already and I'm still barely conscious enough to remember which color I'm supposed to be keeping my hair today. I have a report that Director Bones had been asking for for the past three months so I figured I should probably get it to her sooner rather than later since I finally got the bloody thing finished last night."

"Ouch," Proudfoot winced in sympathy. "The Dementor starvation one? She's been on the warpath for that one. Probably best to beat the morning rush, yeah."

"My thinking exactly. Talk to ya in a few, Proud." Yawning again, Dora clutched the report pile to her chest and turned away. She took care to step just a tad bit too close to his desk as she left and fell over the wastebasket, cursing out loud as she windmilled through half the room 'regaining' her balance, though she kept a careful hold on the report so it didn't go flying. That thing really _had_ taken her ages to get finished. Locking up a Dementor in a boarded room and checking to see if it died every so often was not exactly a fun assignment. Finally, Dora made it to Amelia Bone's office door and knocked. A curt reply later and Dora was inside and sitting in front of the Director of Magical Law Enforcement.

"Auror Tonks, you're in early," Amelia said shuffling some papers to the side and cocking an eyebrow at Dora.

Dora nodded and set the report on the woman's desk. "First, Ma'am, the Dementor report. Apparently it takes at least three months before they even start to show signs of any issues when locked away from food sources. That said, they need to be at a minimum 5 miles from any living being with emotions – including apparently familiars – otherwise they will keep feeding. It _is_ possible to starve them, though I have yet to confirm if we can actively _kill_ them using this method. Every Dementor we've tried it with has become incredibly violent at close to the four month mark and has managed to either escape or attack the investigators enough that the experiment was no longer safe to continue."

"Damn." Amelia leaned back and took off her monocle rubbing at her eyes. "We need to figure out how to destroy these things. It's only a matter of time before the next Dark Lord wannabe rises again and they jump ship. Get with the Unspeakables Tonks, see if they have anything. There was a rumor once upon a time about some combination of steel and poison that could do the trick and if anyone will know, it's them."

"Yes, boss."

"What else did you have?"

"Is this room secure?" Dora asked glancing around and twirling her wand around her fingers in a seemingly playful fashion though most seasoned Aurors would recognize the hidden detection spell if they focused on it.

Amelia frowned, not one to miss the implications of Dora's movements though at least she didn't seem to be taking offense. She nodded slowly and raised a finger to point at a glowing red crystal set into the wall above the door. "If that ever turns yellow – or heavens forbid, green – then the room is compromised. While it is red, no spells or listening devices besides my own are present in this room. What is going on that warrants such a question, Auror?"

Dora cracked her neck and set her wand on the table as she steepled her fingers in front of her. She let her hair flow down into a fashion reminiscent of her mother's style and took on the mannerisms of the Black Family training that had been grilled into her since before she could remember. Her back straightened and her legs uncrossed while her mouth set into a small line. Where mere moments before the playful, fun Auror had been sitting, there was now a pureblood Black daughter staring across the table at the Regent Bones. "Madame Bones, your ward is very good friends with the two of mine."

"What does Susan have to do with this?" Amelia asked, her eyes narrowed to slits as she took in the abrupt change in Dora. "We are not discussing Auror business at all, are we." It was not a question.

"No, we are not and Susan has _everything_ to do with this."

"Then you should have approached me outside of working hours, Miss Tonks," Amelia stated coldly. She was about to push back from the table when Dora's next statement stopped her dead.

"Voldemort is going to return by the end of the Triwizard Tournament if he has not already done so."

"… _What_?!"

Dora continued in a flat tone, her voice devoid of emotion and merely stating facts. "I am not telling you this as a member of the Aurors. I am telling you this as the guardian of Harry and Rose Potter. Voldemort is coming back. We are leaving the country as soon as it is safe to do so without jeopardizing Harry's magic. We have no intention of fighting in the coming war nor do we intend to allow for the Potters to be used as a figurehead for the government. Speaking momentarily as an Auror, you can consider this my two week notice if you wish. Make no mistake, Madame Bones, as soon as the Tournament is over, I will be taking the Potters along with several others that they consider friends and fleeing the coming violence."

Amelia drew a shaky breath and clasped her hands together over her monocle on the desk. Several moments passed before she murmured, "You said this was about Susan, not the Potters."

"My wards consider Susan a friend and ally. They would prefer to avoid seeing her hurt, but they are aware it is not for them to say that she can or should leave Britain. You are her Head of House and her Aunt. We put a great deal of stock in family and Susan respects you quite a lot. I personally very much doubt that you can be convinced to leave the nation even should I make you aware of all the details that I was recently informed of. However, we do believe that you can be convinced of the urgency in enrolling Susan in alternative education. Beauxbatons is a wonderful option and Gabrielle Delacour has already been providing her and several others in their study group with French lessons in case you choose to pursue this route."

"All that you are aware of," Amelia murmured frowning. She looked up and scowled as she locked gazes with Dora. "It's your duty to report anything and everything that you know about the potential rise of a threat to this nation and its government Auror Tonks!"

Dora had to pause as she suppressed her natural instinct to let her hair flame red and instead kept it the same jet black she had started this meeting with. "Madame Bones, as I have already stated, I was only an Auror here long enough to give my notice. My duty is to my _family_. My _family_ which has been betrayed, marginalized, criminalized, demonized, humiliated, abandoned and constantly tormented by this department, this government and this government's public mouthpiece." Dora's rebuttal had grown louder and louder as she continued to the point that she was practically shouting by the end and her lips had curled back from her teeth as she glared right back at Amelia. "Neither I nor my family give a _rat's ass_ what the fuck Voldemort does to this cesspit. Every time I turn around the people here hurt those I care about more and more, and I am fucking _done_ with it! When they came to me I thought it would be hard to leave. I thought I would be the voice of reason. But then I found out how you locked up your own Merlin-be-damned boyfriend for twelve years without even looking him in the eyes or sending him to a trial and I stopped caring."

Amelia reeled back into her seat as if she had been physically slapped. "Sirius? What? What are you…How does…"

"He's fucking innocent, Madame Bones. Which you would've known if you have ever bothered to _do your bloody job_! We're done with this country; you can all burn in hell. Get Susan out. The twins like her; she has a spine and potential. Make sure your family survives what's coming, Madame Bones. Good day." Dora pushed back from the desk hard enough to send the chair smashing into the wall behind her as she surged to her feet and snatched her wand. Thrusting it back into its holster she twisted and forced her hair into bubblegum pink as she pulled open the door. Schooling her features back into the normal mask she shot a salute towards Proudfoot as she headed back towards her desk.

* * *

Rita mentally frowned as she settled on the palm of the tall Beauxbatons student. Who _was_ this girl? She seemed so familiar…Stupid useless beetle eyes. She couldn't even place the voice as the girl started speaking. "Rita Skeeter I presume? Hmm, ah yes, I do see ze resemblance. You have ze most _lovely_ circles around your eyes, dear."

Something in the tone of that girl's voice set Rita's nerves ablaze. Most of her form's instincts were telling her to leave now, fly away while she still could. Her wings buzzed and her feet coiled beneath her. Rita shuddered. _No! Stupid insect! I'm here for a story and I'm going to get the bloody story. Everything sets off this stupid form's warning senses. Just tell me what you have brat so I can get the hell back to the newsfloor._ She stood up on several of her back legs and performed the equivalent of a bow. It was hard to tell, but she thought that the girl above her smiled at that.

"Perfect. It is you. I guess I was right after all; I just had the wrong insect. Oh well, I owe you 10 galleons, 'arry."

' _arry?_ Rita thought. Who the hell was this girl talking to? It was just the two of them. There was no one else – Rita's instincts suddenly screamed bloody murder at her and her beetle body overwrote all conscious thought as it took flight away from the threat below her. She flew straight up surging into the air before she had even consciously realized she'd moved. Rita had just enough time to think, _How is she holding fire in her hand?_ as thought returned, but then out of literally thin air, a glass jar appeared and closed around her with the lid shutting tight before she could fly out or even consider transforming.

Panicking, Rita buzzed around the perimeter of the jar searching for something, anything, any type of weak spot or crack or seam. There was nothing. There was NOTHING!

"Calm down, Rita. Your air is limited in there. I don't know how quickly bugs work through oxygen, but I imagine flying around and around in circles is just going to make it go pretty fast. It's a fairly small jar after all."

Rita froze in mid-air and turned to face towards the new male voice. This voice she at least recognized. Harry. James. Potter. Her blood chilled. If Harry Potter was holding the jar, then the French bitch with the fire fingers would have to be…Gabrielle Delacour. And now there was a third figure with them, a third figure with red hair; that would have to be Rose Potter. Oh gods no, oh by Merlin and Morgana…But they were just school kids right? She shook herself. Yes, yes they were just stupid school kids, barely even teenagers. They were just trying to intimidate and scare her that was all! It wasn't going to work. She was Rita Skeeter! She wrote what she wanted, about whoever she wanted! She was going to crucify all three of these pathetic little fools when they let her out of this!

"That's better," Harry said nodding. "Now, here's the thing, Rita. That jar is Unbreakable and charmed with enough magic to last for about 60 years. The lid was just sealed on with Stefan's Solvent Solutions. I don't know if you've heard of it, but in case you haven't, it's supposed to last for 100 years on its own unless you apply the counter-potion. We did not put air holes in the jar or the lid. Best guess is you have about 7 hours worth of air if you stay fairly still. We're going to bury you now, Rita. You can either choose to stay a beetle and die a fairly painless death of hypoxia or you can try to change back and hope that your mass overcomes the Unbreakable charm."

"I don't really recommend trying that," Rose said speaking up. The trill in her voice sent shivers down Rita's spine. They couldn't be actually serious could they? They were just…children…Rita focused back on Rose as her wings pulled back against her spine as tight as they could get and she went very, very still. "It's a very painful way to go. I watched someone try it once. He was conscious for a surprisingly long time as he died. Though the container was quite a bit bigger so his head did actually fit without being destroyed in an instant. You might just die right off. Up to you I suppose."

"Right now you are probably saying zat we cannot possibly do zis to you, zat we cannot get away wiz it," the French bitch said. She reached out a hand and fire danced on her fingers heating a portion of the jar. Rita cried out silently and flew as far to the opposite end as she could though the heat still travelled down to her. Finally the girl blessedly pulled her hand back. "You have printed lies and filth about my Mates for years, you _vermine_! We have killed others for less. You should be thankful zat zis is painless. Ze rest on our list will not be so lucky."

 _Merlin and Morgana, she really is serious. Oh merciful gods, what have I gotten myself into? It can't end like this! It can't!_ Rita started flying madly around the jar barely even noticing as it was lifted into the air and the light started to disappear. She had to find a way out. There had to be a way out. There had to be a way out.

There had to be a way out.

She was still searching as the last of the light disappeared.

* * *

Voldemort shifted in the blankets supporting him as his loyal followers attending him supplicated themselves at his feet. While it was nice to be worshiped he knew that Pettigrew only did it out of fear of later reprisal and knowledge that he had come too far down this path to ever walk another. Barty though, Barty was another story entirely.

"Your report…Barty," Voldemort wheezed. He internally cursed this homunculus form. It was only slightly better than the spirit he had been for so long and at times he almost wished to return to that form. At least as a spirit he didn't have to catch his breath after every third word.

"My lord, the Potters continue to behave erratically. One moment they will perfectly stable, normal students in my class and the next instant they will be like a whirlwind destroying everything in their path," Barty reported dutifully. He looked up and the worry in the man's eyes was disturbing. Barty Crouch was not only a top actor – being able to play Alastor Moody for so long proved that – but he was a staunch fighter and had nerves second only to Bellatrix. Almost nothing rattled Barty Crouch Jr.

"Are they a…problem?"

Barty hesitated a long moment before replying. "They are dangerous, my lord. They have grown much stronger in a very short period of time and the inclusion of the Veela has drastically improved their combat power both as a unit and as individuals. The issue isn't so much their knowledge of spells which seems to be fairly simplistic and haphazard, it's the raw strength and lack of concern for collateral damage they have when using them. Generally they use quick, simple spells that are absurdly overpowered or highly damaging area-of-effect variants shaped to avoid their trio. They care only for each other. All outbursts I've witnessed have been the direct result of attacks or implications on one of the three, and the others have responded with immediate and overwhelming violence. They trample anything that impinges on their unit and will damn the consequences. Forgive me my lord, but they remind me a great deal of Bellatrix."

Voldemort frowned and reached a hand over to pet Nagini while he considered that information. "Can they…be turned? They would be…powerful figureheads."

"My lord," Barty began slowly, "I would urge caution. They have little love for Dumbledore, but I doubt they care for you either. Should you approach them, you must have a carrot and not just a stick."

"Their parents…are not an…issue then?" Voldemort asked.

Barty shrugged. "I've never heard them mention their parents and I've never seen them respond to anyone insulting James or Lily with nearly the same level of hatred they display towards more personal threats."

"My lord," Pettigrew said, speaking up for the first time in their meeting. "Perhaps we should kidnap one and then we – "

Barty snorted and then outright laughed. "You do that, Wormtail. I'll stand back here and laugh as they eviscerate you."

"They are fourteen!"

"They are _motivated_ ," Voldemort hissed. "That is…respectable. It is also…worrisome. I witnessed it…years back as well. We should not wait…any longer. The ritual can be…done on the next…New Moon. Wormtail, prep the potion. Barty, send a…sacrifice. I don't care…who. Not one of…the Potters. Not one of…the ones they claim. If we can…turn them, I want…to try."

"Yes, my lord. It will be done." Barty nodded and stood. He quickly moved to leave the grounds and attend to his task while Pettigrew bowed a few extra times and whimpered something or other which Voldemort ignored.

Instead, the homunculus continued to pet the gigantic snake and frowned in thought. Perhaps, this war would be easier than he had thought. After all, why bother keeping your enemies close when you could make them allies instead?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fanfic Rec: 'Living Dangerously' by CGPH. This is a Harry/Daphne fic where Harry starts off dating Ginny though fairly quickly realizes he's not actually into her. There's a potion mishap during a detention with Daphne where the two get hot and heavy and they decide to try a relationship secret while dealing with Fifth Year. It's complete and there is a sequel started with sporadic updates. I'm actually not a fan of the sequel since Daphne's character seems have majorly backslid, but the original was good.


	12. Something to Stew Over

**Chapter 12: Something to Stew Over**

Harry breathed in the strawberry scent of Gabrielle's shampoo and grinned at the way it mixed enticingly with the shea butter moisturizer that Rose had recently taken to using. Their particular combined essence was unlikely to be erased from this configuration of the Room of Requirement for quite some time, considering how long the trio had been making use of it the past few months since their return. Well those smells and…other ones.

" 'arry," Gabrielle gasped, "don't stop! Please, whatever you do don't stop!"

Harry grunted in reply and ground against his French lover harder, eliciting another exclamation of pleasure. The Veela bucked up towards him, her chest rising and her nipple slipping back into Rose's hovering mouth. Harry threaded his hand through his sister's hair as the redhead ran her tongue over the nub and lightly skated her teeth along the edges. Gabrielle bucked again and Harry felt her clench hard on him and he groaned as his own control started slipping.

"Rose, finish her off," Harry managed to get out between thrusts, his breathing ragged. "I can't hold on much longer here."

Rose twisted enough to smirk up at him, despite never letting go of her prize. She bit down harder and Gabrielle's moan and bucking nearly sent him over the edge. Rose snaked a hand down to rub at the top of Gabrielle's mound, brushing ever so slightly against Harry himself as he pulled out. Groaning, he moved one of his own hands from supporting Gabrielle's legs to slap his sister's arse. She wiggled it under his hand and he slipped it further down until he had a finger firmly lodged inside her.

Thankfully, he didn't need to devote much attention to splitting his concentration as Rose seemed to be taking care of herself just fine and was bucking back on his hand without much assistance from Harry at all. He actually barely seemed to be involved with the girls at all at this point, from what he could tell anyway. It was all he could do to hold on with how Gabrielle bucked up underneath him. He thrust forward one final time and with a cry of release the Veela arched her back and clamped onto him like a vice while her hands latched onto Rose and pulled the redhead against her chest hard. Harry lost his struggle against his restraint at that point and felt his own release burst forth as Gabrielle's legs locked behind him ensuring he wasn't able to move from being sheathed inside her. Rather than fight the taller Veela, Harry instead opted to collapse on top of her and start lightly kissing her neck, running his free hand along her arm while she shuddered under him.

Rose for her part was quivering to the side and still bucking on his other hand. Harry twisted his finger inside his twin ever so slightly, searching for the sensitive spot that they had found during Vernon's dinner party so long ago. He didn't have to search much; barely an instant after moving, Rose's muscles locked up and she let go of Gabrielle's breast arching her own back to sit up with a loud exclamation of shock and pleasure before collapsing bonelessly on top of the other two.

The trio stayed cuddled together for a few minutes barely moving before Gabrielle finally broke the silence. "Have I mentioned recently, how much I _thoroughly_ enjoy having an active sex life? Because I do," she said practically purring. Harry chuckled at the satisfied triumph in her tone.

"Yeah, I missed this too," Rose murmured next to him. She pushed up enough to lock Gabrielle into a deep kiss before breaking off and pulling his own face higher to share the same with him. Letting him go a few moments later, Rose smiled at them both and laid her head back down on Gabrielle's chest. "I wish we could stay like this forever."

"Well hopefully soon we can," Harry replied. He shifted slightly and grimaced. "Err, Ella, luv? Could you maybe let me go? This is getting a bit uncomfortable for me."

"Must I?"

Harry cast his eyes towards the heavens silently praying for guidance. "Look, I know you and Rose really seem to like when I stay like this, but honestly, it's not all that fun for me, so…please?"

Gabrielle sighed dramatically and with herculean effort unlocked her legs from around Harry's back and finally freed him. He rolled to the side and leant up to peck her cheek. "Thanks, luv."

"When we are trying for children in a few years, you do not get to complain, 'arry."

"Agreed," Rose said raising her hand in confirmation. The two girls nodded together in solidarity. Harry just looked at them both and rubbed his temple.

"I am never going to win an argument when I'm against both of you."

"Nope," they agreed simultaneously.

Harry chuckled, shaking his head at their antics. How had he ever managed to forget about his family? Granted he hadn't actually _known_ Gabrielle was part of their group before the mindwipe, but still…Nothing was ever going to tear them apart again. It would better to die together than to live apart again at this point. And with that particularly gloomy thought, Harry's mind flashed back to why they had originally come to the Room to begin with before the smell of the girls had gotten him all hot and bothered. "Um, not to spoil the afterglow and all, but we do have to talk before we head down for dinner."

Rose grunted while Gabrielle did her best to shrug with two bodies still mostly on top of her. "About the last 'ogs-ogs-ogs-oh for the love all the all that's holy, I hate that town's name! 'ogsmeade! Hog…s…mea…de. There! Got it! 'ogsmeade. Oh for – I give up. You want to talk about what we are doing while the school frolics, yes?"

"She really is adorable when she stumbles on the accent isn't she?" Rose asked smirking. Harry nodded hard enough to shake the bed. Gabrielle scowled at the both of them. Rose just smiled and kissed the corner of her Veela lover's lips eliciting a head shake and a pout. "She's right though, what are we doing? Way I see it, we have two options really. We can take care of your Scarcrux or we can go after Umbridge."

"Are we ready for either?"

Rose sat up completely and crossed her arms under her chest. "Honestly, sorta for both, but not really for either. We need an alibi either way for Hogsmeade so we'll need to get with either Daphne or Hermione to provide that. Dora has a doctor lined up to cut out your scar whenever we ask; and she brought up how we apparently all forgot that we can just use Skele-Gro to regrow the bone instead of using a Muggle steel plate so that prevents the long recovery which is nice. We still have to loop Sirius in fully though so that he can get us _to_ said doctor. It's really not fair to ask him to take you to a big Muggle medical procedure, cutting out a portion of your skull and not telling him why we _know_ this is the right thing to do."

"Glad to see you have finally forgiven him," Gabrielle said softly reaching over and squeezing Rose's hand. Rose shot her a smile and nod so small it was barely even there.

"And Umbridge?"

"I have everything lined up for her. Ella, you got word back yesterday that they accepted our terms?" The blonde nodded. "Cool. Okay, yeah, we're ready. We also don't care who knows that she's been abducted this time since we _want_ Fudge worried to hell and back now. The more people are paranoid in the Ministry the better at this point. With Voldemort so close to coming back, we need people ramping up now right? We need to make sure that they actually start fighting instead of having him just waltz right in the front door, otherwise what's his incentive to let us go?"

Harry nodded as he also sat up. He rubbed his chin and frowned. "While I'd like to get rid of the Horcrux I think it's best to take out Umbridge while we can still get to her fairly easily. Plus, it does help things to put the fear of god into Fudge now rather than later. Maybe this would help convince Amelia Bones to send Susan off to Beauxbatons too."

Gabrielle pulled herself up with a soft mewl of protest. "You must consider that none of ze Light families will be willing to part with this country until the war starts in earnest and even then it may not happen until things get bad. We are not letting them crucify you like last time. That was a tipping point for many who might have been on the metaphysical fence."

"Metaphorical, sweetie," Rose corrected.

"That's what I said!"

"Well we could always just kidnap Susan and Neville…" Harry mused.

"No, bad Harry!" Rose bit out, reaching over to lightly slap his leg, leaving her hand firmly planted where it landed. "No kidnapping good people. We don't need that kind of attention." She trailed off, licking her lips and squeezing his calf. Her lips quirked up into a half smirk and her hand started inching its way up Harry's leg massaging him as it went. Harry let out a soft groan of pleasure as Rose's hand reached ever higher.

"Now who is getting off track, hmm?" Gabrielle asked chuckling lacing her fingers over Rose's and pulling the redhead's hand up to rest on Gabrielle's stomach accompanied by both twins' groans of dismay. " _Non_ , if I don't get to keep playing, neither do you two. We finish our talk, zen we can continue. Now, we were talking about who we can and cannot kidnap, no?"

"Spoilsport," Rose murmured. "Fine, fine. Stupid Veela, you're supposed to be obsessed to sex, why are stopping me anyway?"

"I learned to abstain for ten years. The lesson has carried over. Now focus, I want to play!"

"Whatever. We kidnap people we want to kill and that's it. If we can't convince our friends' families to leave then we try to convince our friends to run themselves and if that fails, well it's on them, Harry. Not us. We still look out for our own first and foremost. Agreed?"

Harry sighed, but nodded. "Yeah, agreed."

"Good." Rose let out a breath and closed her eyes re-centering herself. "Okay. So. Umbridge then?" She opened her eyes and looked to the others. Both of them flashed thumbs up.

"Umbridge," Harry and Gabrielle echoed together.

A wide grin split Rose's features that showed off more teeth than was proper for anything remotely approaching a happy expression. "Excellent. I have been sooooo looking forward to this!"

Harry turned to his blonde lover, his eyes wide and his mouth in a careful partial pout, the best approximation a puppy-dog-look he could make. " _Now_ can we keep playing, Mistress Gabrielle?"

* * *

Tracey Davis stalked down the corridor in search of a target. It didn't particularly matter who at this point though she'd prefer the find one of the Weasley twins. They were the ones who had turned her hair flaming orange after all. Not that it wasn't funny; it was just that it happened to occur right when she was supposed to be asking Daphne out. Again.

Well…technically she had asked Daphne and was waiting for the response back, but that was a minor detail really.

Tracey ground her teeth as she turned yet another corner. One of these days she was really going to have to wise up to reality. First though, she was going find and hurt one of the Weasleys.

"Look out!" A surprised voice exclaimed from under a mane of hair as Tracey rounded the West side staircase and nearly ran right into a fellow student. They both dodged to the side and succeeded only in tripping each other up and crashing to the ground with bags flying.

"Ow…" Tracey groaned rubbing her head. She pushed herself to her feet and held out a hand to help the other girl up only to belated realize that she had run smack dab into Hermione Granger. "Sorry about that, wasn't really watching where I was walking."

"No, I think it was my fault. That's what I get for carrying too many books back to the library at once," Hermione replied shoving her masses of large tomes back into her overflowing pack. Tracey could only stare in wonder at how such a small girl could carry so many things without falling on her back.

"Please tell me that thing has a featherlight charm on it."

"I tried, but apparently the material doesn't hold it for long. I need to get a new rucksack that's more expensive over the summer hols that way it can keep the charm applied. I've been considering just going for a space-extended bag. Or making my own really. It would be cheaper."

Tracey blinked several times at that statement. A grin spread across her face and she snorted in suppressed laughter, bending to help to grab the remaining books. "You and Daphne should talk. The two of you would make a scary team. Come on, Granger, let's get you to the library before you die falling down the stairs."

"Not afraid to be seen with a Gryffindor then?" Hermione asked shooting a thankful glance towards Tracey and following along.

Tracey for her part just shrugged. "Eh, now that Snape's gone I don't care. Professor Vector hasn't enforced the House separation thing that he kept up and Malfoy's either dead or gone so no one is ruling the roost; there's no one to punish me for rocking the boat. Well…not yet at least. Daphne has been saying I need to watch my back which honestly does have me a bit worried especially considering the writing on the wall if you know where to look."

Hermione was silent for nearly an entire flight of stairs before slowly replying, "And you are telling me this…why?"

"Because you're part of that writing on the wall, Granger." Tracey smirked at the brunette. "I'm a Half-blood in Slytherin who was told to get out of the country by someone with powerful friends. Daphne has been standing up for the Potters recently. You're a Muggleborn who is very good friends with the Potters and whose parents have recently divested themselves of their lucrative business holdings. I can put two and two together, Hermione Granger. Your friends are friends with my friend and have told my friend to tell me to get out just like they told you to and now we're all in the same boat together trying to leave before the other rats realize the ship is sinking."

Hermione stared at her for several seconds, finally just shaking her head. "You are a very unusual Slytherin, Tracey Davis."

"I take that as a compliment."

"I think I meant is as one."

"Oi! Tracey!" Harry Potter's distant shout rang down the castle halls and caught both girls' attention as they stepped off the staircase. Stopping, they turned to wait for the running Potter twin to catch up to them. He slowed to a stop hands on his knees, breathing deep. "Man, I, have been, looking EVERYWHERE, for you people! Wait – " Harry cut off his gasping speech and pointed at her hair. All of a sudden, Tracey's anger at the Weasleys surged back to the forefront and her face burned red. "Why is, your hair orange? Never mind, not important. Look, I need, to find Daphne. She's vanished and, I need to ask, her a question, about the, Hogsmeade trip. Woo, man I need to pick up my running again."

Tracey's eyes narrowed. "The one tomorrow morning?" Oh hell no. Potter already had at least one girlfriend. He wasn't going to be taking Daphne too. Wait that didn't even make sense. Daphne still wasn't even remotely interested in dating anyone and everyone knew Harry Potter didn't have eyes for any girls besides Gabrielle Delacour – and probably Rose Potter too, not that people actually mentioned that one though.

"Yeah, hence why I need to find her fast," Harry said finally catching his breath. "Rose and Gabrielle are searching other parts of the castle, but we haven't had any luck yet."

"You won't," Tracey said shaking her head. "She's in a meeting with Susan Bones. Very hush, hush. Something about you though she wouldn't tell me what."

"Me?"

Tracey smirked. "Well, whatever it is you have going on at least. I imagine Daphne is attempting to plead your case since Sue's aunt can be a stubborn broad."

Potter pulled up short at that completely at a loss for words and just worked his mouth open and closed. "I'll be damned," he muttered. "Best PR girl we ever contracted with. Should've pulled her in years ago!"

Hermione cut into the conversation at that point. "Harry, if you want Daphne to cover for you three tomorrow you need to look elsewhere. She'll be meeting with Neville for the same reason while we're at Hogsmeade for most of the day."

"Dammit!" Harry cursed his fists balling up. "There goes Plan A."

"We can do it," Tracey said waving a hand to encompass herself and Hermione. Harry cast a piercing eye over her looking at her from head to foot with a gaze so intense that Tracey felt for an instant that he must be examining her very soul. Shaking herself to brush off the prickly feeling, Tracey pulled on her normal Slytherin armor. "I mean really, you obviously trust Daphne with it, and Hermione is in the know enough that you'd trust her too."

"Yes, but _you_ are new."

"I'm friends with Daphne," Tracey replied doing her best to keep the warble out of her voice. How did he look so intense? Did the dragon feel this way when Harry had pulled out that giant war staff before roasting the thing?

"You are which gets you a lot of points and she speaks highly of you which gets you more. But you are still new and we don't trust easily."

"Harry," Hermione set down her bag back and leaned forward to lay a hand on Harry's arm. He tensed slightly before relaxing and looking at the other girl. "I think she's a friend. She's smart and she's already planning to leave if the conversation I just had with her is any indication."

"I am if that helps."

He frowned looking back towards her. "Daphne told you there was trouble coming?"

"Not in so many words, but yeah. Is it really that bad?"

"It is," he said softly. He turned back to Hermione and fixed her with a searching stare. "You're sure we can trust her, Hermione?"

Hermione shrugged. "Well, I'm not _good_ friends with her, so I honestly don't know. But I am sure that you can trust _me_ and I can stay with her for the day tomorrow and if she does anything that makes me think we can't trust her to cover for you, then I can just stun her until you can get Padfoot or Tonks to come and memory charm her until she thinks you really _were_ with us all day."

Tracey looked back and forth between the two as Harry slowly nodded. Her mind spun a mile a minute. "You people really don't play around do you?" she murmured. "Merlin, what the hell am I getting myself into? Alright fine, you want a bloody Secret Keeper, sure, I'll be your bloody Secret Keeper. Hell, my best friend likes to think she's already on the Wizengamot anyway so why not play around with two Unspeakables too while I'm at it?"

"I actually like to think of myself as a librarian, thank you very much," Hermione said standing up straight and thrusting her head off to the side in as prim a manner as possible. Both Harry and Tracey took one look Hermione's attempt to appear pompous and proper and burst out laughing followed shortly by the brunette herself. "So does she pass, Harry?"

"Okay, sure, trial basis. Welcome to Team Potter, Tracey. We might get T-Shirts one day."

"Glorious. I'm either a Medium or a 10 depending on what brand you're going with."

"I'll keep that in mind," Harry said grinning back at her and saluting as he turned to go back to lord knew where.

* * *

Rose glared at the wand in her hand as she and her little family stalked – walked, they _walked_ , they couldn't stalk yet, they had to maintain appearances for the moment – down the halls of the Ministry of Magic. "I hate this thing," she murmured just loud enough for Gabrielle and Harry to hear. "It feels dead."

"It doesn't owe you its allegiance. Wands are strange things," Gabrielle replied softly. "Now hush. Laura Burns should not be looking at her wand like she wishes it would spontaneously combust." Harry nodded beside her though he also seemed to be fingering his stolen wand quite a lot.

Waylaying – and polyjuicing into – a trio of Ministry aides had been laughably easy. The security on this place was so pathetic that Rose was forced to wonder if it was intentional. Were the Death Eaters already sabotaging things in preparation for their takeover or was Fudge's leadership just that incompetent? Or were Bones and Scrimgeour that bad at their jobs? If the entire organization was this horrible, then maybe it wasn't malicious intent that had seen Harry separated from her and it actually was just a screw-up.

Yeah, and maybe pigs would fly tomorrow too.

She grit her teeth and clenched her fist tightly around the stolen wand as it started to grow warm in her grip.

They were going to take Umbridge. Umbridge was going to pay for tearing Harry from her. Umbridge was going to hurt. Umbridge was finally, finally, _finally_ going to _**hurt**_!

Rose ignored the stupidly warm piece of wood as her lips curled into a snarl. Squeezing her hands tighter she was shocked back to a semblance of normality as the wand rapidly reached scalding temperatures and started burning her fist. Gasping and only barely managing to avoid throwing the offending stick down the corridor, Rose instead started fumbling the thing from one hand to the other as it cooled itself back down now that it was no longer being abused.

Glaring at the wand, Rose took a calming breath and concentrated on schooling Laura's borrowed features back into an easy grin at the passing workers and their curious glances.

"…I swear it's going to be the metaslut. You just watch."

Rose's feet stopped all on their own and her head whipped to the left searching for the source of the cretin that was bad-mouthing Dora. Her fist started to clench again though Harry's hand on her upper arm kept it from escalating to the point that the wand had to rebuke her again. "Wait," he hissed in her ear.

"You're nuts man," another disembodied voice responded to the first. They were in an office a few paces to the left. The trio stepped closer to the nearby wall, Gabrielle quickly cutting a nick on her finger and using the blood and a flicker of flame to lay down a quick ward of her own invention. It was a nifty privacy one she'd created a few years back that prevented eavesdropping while allowing those within the boundary to hear outside sounds. It did seem to dampen smells in both directions for some reason that they'd never figured out, but since humans didn't really use smell too often they'd never bothered to figure out how to fix it. Sometimes that was even a minor bonus since the original privacy ward _didn't_ block smell. Not that they'd ever managed to figure the original one out anyway…

"Did you even read the article? Rita was totally going after her wand blazing. Who else would have it in for the woman besides that bitch?"

A snort of laughter followed that. "Just half the country. Seriously, Trout, you're a complete idiot. Skeeter prints trash and pisses off everyone around her. The only people who can stand her are lonely mothers with nothing to do except read her bull."

"Yeah? So why did she vanish just after the article about the metaslut?"

"Okay you really need to stop calling Auror Tonks that before someone hears you. She's going to kick your arse five ways to Sunday you stupid tosser. She's Mad-Eye's protégé for starters, she's the apple in Kingsley's eye for two, she's descended from the bloody Blacks for three, and just for kicks she lives with Harry-Dragon-Arse-Slapping-Potter!"

Rose gaped at that new title for Harry, momentarily forgetting her anger, and pulled back from the wall to stare at her brother with wide eyes. Her hand was up and pointing at him and her mouth was open ready to tease him but he beat her to the punch. "Not. One. Word. We never speak of this again. Ever. Or I swear to Merlin, Morgan, and fucking Sauron I will never use Parseltongue on either of you ever again."

"Understood, 'arry. My lips are sealed as long as yours are not," Gabrielle quickly responded elbowing Rose. Rose groaned though nodded her agreement and turned her attention back to conversation between the two Ministry workers.

"…I still say she's overhyped," the idiot was saying.

"So go duel her and get your arse beat into a pulp for all I care. Look, you're forgetting one simple thing, Trout."

"Yeah? What's that Mike?"

"She was arguing with Bones while Rita was supposedly being kidnapped."

"What's this now?"

An audible slap was heard and Rose snorted in commiseration. She felt Mike's pain having to deal with being surrounded by idiots and fools. "You're never going to pass basic training. Okay, so Rita's entire office hears her getting told by her editor to meet with a mystery informant at 6am the next day. At 6:03am the next day, Auror Tonks is walking into Bone's office to drop off a report and is in there for almost twenty minutes before walking out pissed off. She hangs around filling out paperwork with Savage and Dawlish at the office for the next six hours before going to train with Kingsley for another four hours afterwards. Tell me when in all of that time she was supposed to go and hunt down Rita?"

"I…hadn't heard about that…"

"Yeah, I figured. Maybe next time you should think with your brain instead of your rejected pecker. Now listen, supposedly Savage thinks that the Parkinsons are involved with this somehow, so we're supposed to go and…"

Gabrielle looked at Rose and Harry and nodded towards the corridor. "Can we go now? I don't think we have to kill this fool. His partner seems to have done a fairly decent job of beating him into submission for us."

"Yeah, drop the ward and let's get a move on. Everyone have their extra dose of potion in case we need it?" Rose asked as she fingered her vial. She saw the other two nod affirmatives. A second later Gabrielle had dropped the ward and they were on their way again. Thankfully they managed to reach the small lift to the Minister's officers without further encounters. While it was still technically the same level, Fudge had installed a separate area for himself and his top personnel just so they could feel more important by making people wait.

As said lift chimed for 'Level 0' the trio took a deep breath and looked at each other. "Last chance to back out," Harry murmured.

"Not a chance," Rose said.

"I have been thinking about this for over a decade 'arry. Ze last time was far too…quick. We do zis and we do zis together," Gabrielle stated.

Harry nodded as the doors started to open. "Okay. Ella, remember your accent." Gabrielle's eyes widened momentarily. She set her mouth in a grim line and bit her lip as they walked out. Rose knew from experience that if Gabrielle wasn't entirely certain she could hold to her British accent she'd stay silent throughout. Umbridge may be a stupid waste of air, but she was somewhat observant at times and they needed a few moments to get the toad alone.

They made it through the first room before being accosted. Even then they were almost halfway through the second cubicle area and to Umbridge's private office before one of the officials called out to them. "Johnny! What are you doing up here man? I thought you had that report to finish with the Games and Sports people. Mary, Laura, weren't you two supposed to be helping him?"

"Yeah," Harry replied rubbing the back of his neck and shrugging. He gestured towards Umbridge's office. "The boss asked for an update though on how the how the other countries are looking at our setup for the last event. It's really something that the actual department should be briefing her on, but you know Madame Umbridge."

The man pulled back and held up his hands. "Say no more. I'm amazed you managed to convince these two to come up with you."

"Hey if I have to suffer they have to suffer, benefits of being the project lead."

"He can be a real bastard sometimes," Rose chimed in rolling her eyes.

The worker chuckled sitting back down. "Good luck. She's in one of her moods too. I'd get in and get out if I were you."

"Noted. See you later."

They moved off and skirted past a few more desks before knocking on the door to Umbridge's office. Rose could practically feel her very bones vibrating as the spells holding it closed dissolved and they slipped inside. The putrid pink practically pummeled her senses but she ignored it. The garish cat pictures were some of the most disgusting attempts at 'cute' she'd ever laid eyes on but she skidded right past those. The frilly lace covering everything was almost vomit inducing, and yet Rose skipped over that too.

She had eyes only for Dolores.

The toad was right there.

10 feet of empty air and a measly wooden desk was the only thing separating the two of them.

"Heh hem, can I help you? I believe you were supposed to be doing a report for me Mr. Marcone." The nails-on-a-chalkboard voice screeched through Rose's brain. She had to wait a moment longer. Just a moment longer. The wand in her hand heated up again, bringing with it a slight whiff of burnt flesh.

"We have that finished. If you'd activate the privacy spells again Madame Umbridge we can give you the update," Harry replied smoothly.

Umbridge giggled and a stronger smell of burning skin filled the room, along with a faint sizzling. "Oh excellent! One moment, one moment. There! Now what were those nasty little French tarts going on about with safety violations concerning sphinxes? It's not enough they have a half-breed polluting our noble Tournament, now they have the gall to complain about our very events too!"

Rose felt the office's privacy wards descend around them. The wand stopped burning as a grin spread from ear to ear. "Hello, Dolores. It's been a long time. Let's have some fun."

* * *

Rose smiled politely – well, she considered it polite at least; others probably would be a little intimidated by the too wide grin and saucer eyes – as Umbridge started to stir. The toad shifted against the ropes holding her to the stake and her eyes fluttered open. "Good afternoon. Welcome to the Scottish countryside. It has an official name but I can't pronounce it; I don't speak troll you see."

"Potter!" Umbridge hissed, her beady eyes narrowing in on Rose. "When the Minister gets word of you kidnapping me I will see you Kissed before the night is out! Let me go you little whore."

"You really should be nicer to your captors," Gabrielle said nonchalantly she walked over, wrapped her arms around Rose and kissed the redhead's neck. "I am guessing that was not the type of kiss you meant, no?"

"Oh so you brought your half-breed with you too. Excellent, I can get the both of you taken care of with a single stroke the quill. Now let me go! I am the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic!"

"She really doesn't listen does she?" Gabrielle asked Rose with a small chuckle.

"If she did we wouldn't be here to begin with would we, luv?"

Harry walked over and crossed his arms smiling at both the girls. "No, we wouldn't. But then, things might be worse off for a lot of people too so maybe we should be thanking her too."

"Well she shouldn't be thanking us, that's for sure," Rose replied, her grin widening even further and a gleam entering her eyes as a thumping and series of loud grunts sounded from somewhere nearby.

Umbridge spat on the ground at the trio's feet glaring at all three. "Let me loose you pathetic little children. You think this attempt at intimidation will work? Whatever your goal is you've already failed. You will be in Azkaban or soulless before the sun sets and I will be drinking tea with the Minister. The only question really is whether I want you to suffer or whether I want it to be over quickly. You have kidnapped the Senior Undersecretary and you are already known as dangerously unstable individuals who consort with a barely human half-breed. Let me go this instant and I will consider letting you live out the rest of your lives in the misery of Azkaban. "

"Oh my, that's _such_ a very tempting offer, Dolores." Rose held a hand to her face and gasped in mock thought. "Why I think we might just have to take you up on that! I mean the only other option is to kill you! And it's not like we've ever done that before, right guys?"

"Nope," Gabrielle said cheerily. "I certainly didn't use my abilities to charm Draco Malfoy into committing suicide by centaur."

"And I definitely didn't eviscerate Severus Snape then burn his corpse to ash," Harry chimed in.

Rose waved to encompass the group. "And none of us trapped Rita Skeeter in an unbreakable jar that is buried in the woods where she'll stay until she dies from suffocation."

"Confessing to murder in front of the Senior Undersecretary?" Umbridge asked giggling and rattling her ropes. "Stupid children. No I don't even need to settle for the Kiss, I can just tell Cornelius to toss you through the Veil instead."

Rose closed her eyes and sighed. "Wow, you are even stupider than I remembered." The false cheer dropped from her voice and cold steel entered it along with a vitriol that would have made even a manticore pause. "That wasn't a threat bitch, it was a promise. You're not walking out of here, you're not getting released, we're not bluffing; you're going to die in a few minutes and we're going to watch and later we're going to celebrate because we hate you with every fiber of our being."

"Heh hem, if you were going to kill me you would have done so already," Umbridge stated primly as she pulled herself up as straight as possible against the stake.

Rose scowled dropping all remaining semblance of civility. "The first time I killed you, you were a vegetable. There was no satisfaction whatsoever. I had destroyed your mind ripping the information I needed from it and the worst I could do was to burn your mindless body to the ground. It was over too quick. I learned my lesson. This will not be fast. This will not be painless. You are going to _suffer_! _You took my other half away from me you cunt!_ "

"To elaborate on what my dear sister is trying to say," Harry said dropping in before Umbridge could sputter out a reply. "Is that you are currently tied to the cooking stake of the troll community of Warbarbar. At least that's what we think it's called. This group actually has a bit of beef with you as well since you did sign a law displacing them from their land about three years back. It moved them into the mountains and deprived them of most of their food supply. They've been slowly starving. It made them a good target for Quirrell and Voldemort when the possessed duo needed a local distraction. Hungry trolls are easy to herd."

"Lies!"

"You should consider yourself lucky, Umbridge," Rose said ice coating her words and her lips thinned into a barely visible line. "I wanted to give you to the centaurs again. Did you know that their equipment is two foot long at minimum? They also generally don't stop breeding a sow for hours at a time. And their herd is quite large at the moment. Since you've pushed legislation through that slashed their rights and cut their territory in half…well they're rather upset with you too. Granted some people can actually survive such an experience, but they practice for that. _You_ would need special spells that we would not be providing." Umbridge paled at that. "Fortunately for you, Harry didn't feel comfortable subjecting anyone to such a fate – even someone like you. I disagree, but I'm only one voice and we abide by majority rule in this trio. So congrats, you get to be either burned alive and then eaten or eaten alive. I honestly don't know whether trolls prefer their meat raw or not."

"…You are insane…" Umbridge whispered. Her eyes jumped from Rose to Gabrielle to Harry. "Please, either of you. I can perhaps make some of the charges against one or both of you two disappear if you get me away from _her_. Untie me and get me back to the Minister."

Harry shook his head and grabbed Gabrielle's hand. "You just don't get it, Dolores. You are going to die. It is as simple as that. You can scream and beg and cry and it won't matter, you are still going to die. You can hold out hope for Fudge to save you, but we all know that the man is laughably incompetent. The three of us literally just walked into your office, stunned you and Floo'd straight out with you over our shoulder."

"And don't worry, we're going to kill him too. We're just going to let him sweat with old Tommy Boy for a bit first; serves him right to face his worst nightmare. That's almost worse than anything that we can do to him; almost," Rose purred, her grin wide and demonic.

Umbridge snarled at them spittle flying and foam actually starting to form at the edges of her lips. "Why are doing this?! You are children! You are pathetic little half-blood _children_! You don't deserve the magic you have! I haven't even started to destroy like you deserve! Why, why, _why_?!"

Rose untangled herself from Gabrielle and stepped forward until she was almost nose to nose with Umbridge. "For starters, that little rant should tell you everything you need to know about why you need to be taken off the table," she said her voice pitched low and thrumming with rage. "Though you do deserve an actual answer, Dolores, so I am going to give you one. I'm going to show you just why we hate you so much and why there is no way for you to talk or bully your way out of this. I'm going to show you why you're dying. Do you want to know why? Because it's going to hurt you even more, that's why. Look into my eyes, Dolores. Look into my eyes and see the future that never was and, now, won't ever be.

" _Legilimens_."

* * *

Rose could barely breathe as she watched the chains coil around Harry in the rickety wooden chair that looked like it would collapse under even his meager weight. "Can't they at least use a-a cushion?" Rose whimpered. "He's going to get a splinter." Her hands shook and she stuck them into her armpits to try and keep her anxiety hidden. Still she couldn't stop the shudders from racking her body nor could she stop her teeth from chattering every time she stopped clenching her jaws together.

"I hardly think that splinters are what the boy has to worry about at the moment, Rose Potter. Now you be quiet, girl. The proceedings are going to be starting shortly," Molly Weasley chiding from the row behind her. Rose barely even heard the plump woman. She could only focus on those chains around her brother's arms. They had tightened further; it didn't even look like he could flex his wrists. Oh god, if this went on too long would he even be able to use his hands when it was over? Was that intentional? Did they do this with everyone or did they just hate her and Harry this much?

"Molly shut the bloody hell up!" Dora whispered. "She doesn't give a shit about splinters! She's scared and you're making things worse. I've got this; go sit with your own bloody family! Rose, sweetie, you need to breathe or I'm going to make you take a calming potion."

"No!" Rose whipped her head back and forth hard enough that her hair obscured her vision of Harry momentarily and she felt herself taking short gasping breaths until she could see him through the red strands again. She focused on the way his eyes crinkled at the corners and the way his right ear was just a touch lower than his left and how his nose was kinked ever so slightly to the side from that Bludger in their second year…her breathing slowed. "I can't take any potions. Please, Dora…I can't…I have to be sober. I can't…I have to be thinking clearly."

"Okay, but you need to keep calm, Rose."

"I'll try," she whispered.

Dora looped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her against the older woman's chest. "Where the _hell_ is Dumbledore?"

As if drawn by the sound of Dora's muttering, a horribly dressed, pink clad, frilly woman banged a gavel directly across from Harry. "Heh hem! It seems that the accused will be defending himself as his advocate has declined to show. Even the esteemed Dumbledore appears to believe that the 'great' Harry Potter has fallen from grace. Now, I call this meeting of the – "

"Hey, you can't do that! I wasn't even consulted about who I wanted as an advocate!" Harry shouted. "If Dumbledore isn't around then get a bloody public defender! I don't even _like_ Dumbledore and I barely even trust the bloody old man!"

"Be quiet child. You are the accused. Your right of choice was waived when you displayed a horrid lack of judgment when using magic in front of Muggles, despite previous warnings. You were assigned an advocate and he has failed to show. You will defend yourself."

"I was defending my – " Harry's protests were cut off as a chain from the back of the chair wrapped around his head and across his mouth.

Rose's breath caught. "How's he supposed to defend himself if he can't-if he can't talk? Dora? Dora, how's he supposed to say anything? What are they doing?"

"Stay here, Rose. I'm going to fix this." Dora pulled her arm from around Rose and gently pushed her back onto her own seat moving to stand up. Before Dora had gotten halfway out of position though, the doors to the chamber burst open and Albus Dumbledore strode through them. Rose twisted, her eyes widening and drinking in the sight of the Headmaster. While she tended to alternate between general dislike and outright hate for the man who was directly responsible for leaving them with the Dursleys, at this moment he was the lifeline that Harry needed and she could've kissed him. He also looked bloody furious. She'd never seen Dumbledore's mouth narrowed to McGonagall levels, nor had she seen his eyes so focused and steely that, for a second, she thought Umbridge, Fudge and Diggory might just burst into flame on the spot from that gaze alone. He wasn't quite running, but he was moving fast enough that he was as close as you could get without it being considered such a thing.

"Ah good, I see the disciplinary hearing has not been called to order yet. Excellent. It would be rather poor form to start such a thing without the defense advocate present after all," Dumbledore stated, his gaze sweeping across the Ministry's box. Rose felt her breathing start back up again and her fingers started to unclench from their stranglehold on her sides while Dora slowly sank back down into her seat again.

"You are late, Dumbledore," Amos Diggory spat. "We've already started."

Dumbledore's eyes turned onto Diggory. "Well, Chief Warlock, perhaps you should have deigned to inform me of the change in meeting times then; as is the _regulation_. After all, you wouldn't want anything that happens here to be illegal and challengeable afterwards now would you? That would open up quite a few doors that I am sure the Ministry would rather remain shut."

"Is that a threat, Dumbledore?" Fudge asked scowling.

"Goddamn them, this isn't about Harry at all," Dora muttered. "It's fucking politics!"

"Get them to loosen the chains, he can't breathe," Rose murmured watching Harry gnawing on the length of chain in his mouth as he glared at the trio set against him.

"On the contrary, Minister, I was merely stating how you need to ensure that proper procedure is followed here. The last thing we want is another miscarriage of justice…like in the lack of trial for Lord Sirius Black."

"That nonsense again! I swear Dumbledore if you bring that up one more time I will toss you out of this room!" Fudge shouted.

"Heh hem, Minister, we should proceed," the toad croaked. All of the Ministry officials turned to her with varying degrees of annoyance crossing their features, though each nodded. "As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted, the trial of Harry James Potter for the Improper Use of Magic In Front of A Muggle (Repeat Offense), Breaking the Statute of Secrecy (Repeat Offense), Underage Sorcery (Repeat Offense), Evading Arrest, and Murder has commenced. It is being presided over by myself, the Senior Undersecretary, Dolores Umbridge, the Chief Warlock, Amos Diggory, and the Minister For Magic, Cornelius Fudge."

Dora's hair turned black and lengthened to the middle of her back while Rose forgot to breath. Harry's complexion paled to near deathly white and Dumbledore stood completely still. "Murder?" Rose had no idea who spoke. It could have been her; it could have been almost anyone at that point as the sentiment seemed to be shared by most of the room that was not the Ministry.

"Certainly there is a…conflict of interest here," Dumbledore said slowly. "I can only assume that you are going to be attempting to try young Harry for Cedric Diggory's death. To have his own father as one of the presiding members cannot possibly lead to a fair hearing."

"Are you saying I cannot be trusted to listen to the evidence and remain impartial?"

"It would be unfair to ask that of you. It would also be unrealistic considering you have already labeled Harry as guilty, otherwise he would not be bound and gagged while you were expecting him to defend himself, despite being barely 15 years old," Dumbledore rumbled. "Will you excuse yourself Chief Warlock or will we be proceeding with a murder trial helmed by a man obviously biased?"

"We will be proceeding," Umbridge said smiling. "State your case, Dumbledore. Some of us have work to do."

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed further and the courtroom started to blur as tears welled up in Rose's own gaze.

They were never going to let Harry go. The two of them should have just ran. They should have ran like they had planned originally. They should've ran like Bonnie and Clyde. They could've lived without magic and evaded the Ministry for years. They should've ran. Maybe she could grab him when they tried to take him away? Maybe she could grab the chair? Could you apparate in the Ministry? Did she know how to apparate? It couldn't be that hard, people did it all the time. Maybe Dora could get them both? Maybe could get just Harry? Would Dora do that for them? She said she was going to fix things. Was she going to attack them? Was she going to fight to get him out? Was she just going to argue? Why was Dumbledore just sitting there and letting them browbeat him? Why wasn't he arguing back like before?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why was this happening?

Why couldn't these people just leave the two of them _alone_?!

"He killed my son! If you think I'm going to believe some stupid drivel about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named being reborn and murdering my child over this obviously violent sociopath doing the deed, you are senile Dumbledore!" Diggory was shouting. Everyone was shouting. Everyone was shouting except for Dumbledore.

"There are none so blind as those who refuse to see," Dumbledore said softly. "I am sorry for your loss, Amos. You cannot see past your pain and you are forcing another to suffer just to ease it."

"I believe we've heard quite enough Dumbledore," Fudge stated banging the gavel. "It's been well documented that Cedric Diggory made every effort to mend the rift between the two boys and he was rebuffed each time. The accused has shown multiple instances in the past of violent tendencies including, but not to: 1) intentional permanent harm to a protected Hungarian Ministry asset on loan to Britain, a Hungarian Horntail dragon, by use of an ancient war staff; 2) intentional threatening of permanent harm to, at minimum, five Ministry sanctioned judges during an official Internationally Sanctioned Tournament by use of an ancient war staff; 3) malicious slander against a respected Hogwarts teacher, one Severus Snape; 4) malicious slander against multiple respected Hogwarts students; 5) intentional attempts to maim respected Hogwarts students; 6) intentional attempts to maim respected Hogwarts teachers; 7) intentional maiming of his own relative using a Muggle eating utensil; 8) intentional threatening of inflicting permanent harm to his Muggle relatives using Magic, etc. etc."

Fudge set down the list and Umbridge took over her smile spreading from ear to ear. "I believe we all get the idea, Minister. Dumbledore has however made his point that Harry Potter _is_ the last member of an Ancient House. It would be a shame to see such a House die off due to…the Kiss, now wouldn't it."

Fudge nodded slowly as he looked to Umbridge and Rose's vision narrowed down to center solely on the pink clad toad. This woman. This woman was the woman who was running this kangaroo court. Fudge was here to screw over Dumbledore, Diggory was here to screw over Harry for Cedric…but this bloody bint was the bee in the bonnet that led the rats to the cheese. "I don't think a vote is really necessary at this point as the verdict is easy to determine. Though perhaps a lesser sentence would be acceptable. Amos?"

"Veil. It is the only sentence I accept. If you absolutely must compromise then I insist on life in Azkaban!"

"Heh hem," Umbridge held up a hand, her face sickeningly sweet with a smile that did not reach her eyes. "Well I was thinking…exile. Complete Magical Exile. The Ministry is merciful after all. Why with a proper Obliviation, Harry James Potter would, in effect, die anyway, yet his House will still carry on through his body's progeny!"

"And it's not like he wouldn't be punished by the sentence. It would be torture to live without magic even if there is only some dim memory that lingers," Fudge said pursing his lips.

Dora's hand on Rose's knee clenched hard enough that she felt the bone pop. "Come on Dumbledore, say something!"

"Alright, let's finish this up," Fudge said slapping the gavel. "As Minister for Magic, I Cornelius Fudge, declare the accused, Harry Potter, guilty of all charges. He is to be immediately exiled from all Magical corners of the globe, his magic bound and his memory Obliviated. Case closed."

Dumbledore hung his head, though his soft voice carried to Rose's ears, "At least he will live. Perhaps the anchor will die if it is starved."

The gavel fell. The toad giggled. The Minister nodded. The grieving father slammed a fist on the desk. The metamorph lunged to her feet shouting obscenities.

Rose could only stare as the chains fell from her brother, the Aurors gripping both his arms and dragging him to his feet. "ROSE! ROSE! STAY SAFE ROSE! I WILL FIND YOU! I DON'T KNOW HOW BUT I WILL FIND YOU!"

She couldn't breathe, they were taking him and she couldn't breathe, they were taking Harry and they were going to wipe away his mind and take away everything that he ever was and they were going to cut away the only person who had been there for her through _everything_ and she couldn't even breathe enough to say _anything_!

She gasped, air rushing into her lungs, " _HARRY!_ " She ran towards the ledge surround the center of the room as the Aurors dragged her brother away and the pink toad laughed.

Red flashed just past her right shoulder and Harry reached out to her.

Rose stretched out for the barrier just as she felt an impact on her back and the world around her went black, her last image Harry's screaming face and Umbridge's pink giggling features looming over him.

* * *

Rose swam up out of the memory she'd implanted into the toad's mind and pulled back with a wide grin that perfectly matched that one she'd seen so long ago. Sweat poured down Umbridge's face and the woman was almost as pale as the Fat Friar. "So, do you understand now, Dolores? You're not leaving here. The first go round, I _did_ give you to Bane. You lasted four minutes before you begged me to stop him. Unfortunately, you were the only one with the knowledge of where you had stashed Harry so I had to turn you into a vegetable to find it."

"She has gotten much better with Legilimency since then, _non_?" Gabrielle said hugging Rose's arm. "Practice makes perfect as zey say!"

"Why am only I here?" Umbridge asked her eyes closed, a glob of snot leaking down her nose.

Rose danced back and shaking a finger at the toad. "Excellent question, Dolores! Fudge gets to reap what he's sown in a bit of karmic retribution. We're going to kill him eventually, but I wanted to let Voldemort have some fun first and then we'll swoop in to pick off the leftovers. Plus we don't want the war to end too fast. We do need a bit of leverage when we leave after all."

"And we're still undecided on if we're actually going to kill Diggory," Harry commented shrugging. "The man is an arse, but he did legitimately believe I killed his son and I sympathize to a degree. Plus if Cedric ends up dying again, would anything that we do to him really be any worse? If we kill him it would mostly just be a self-preservation thing rather than straight up revenge like you and Fudge. I was a pawn to you two. Diggory was out for revenge like us. We're kin in a way."

"We have odd family," Gabrielle said shrugging.

A loud grunt followed by a banging of pots sounded from the tent behind Umbridge's stake. Rose looked over at the trolls that had assembled around their leader – or at least the one that was doing the banging – before turning back to Umbridge, a shudder running through her body. "You have no idea how long I have waited to watch you suffer like this, Umbridge. Is this a bit much? Maybe. Probably. But I've been cut in half for over a decade thanks to your political games and your bigotry. This isn't going to fix me. I know that. I don't care. I just want to make you hurt. So do try to last longer than four minutes before breaking this time, Dolores. It's not every day you get to kill your Boogeyman twice after all."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fanfic Rec: 'The Stag and the Flower' by ReluctantSidekick. This is a Harry/Fleur fic set after the war. Harry splits with Ginny while Fleur decides she needs a vacation after Bill pisses her off one time too many after letting Molly tear into her. They go on holiday together and after a bit of an intervention wind up falling in love. It's sweet and cute and still somewhat short though being fairly consistently updated. Well worth a read if you're in need of a Fleur fic.


	13. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Again, thanks to my beta, Grey Raven 09. We get a bit more of a look at the trio from outside eyes here and a perspective on Dumbledore that is not quite as horribly biased, so hopefully some of his more contradictory actions from previous chapters make more sense now.

**Chapter 13: Aftermath**

Hermione sipped at her butterbeer and glanced at the clock on the wall of the Three Broomsticks for what felt like the hundredth time. She squeaked as her glass was suddenly tipped up to almost horizontal and she had to nearly guzzle the drink to avoid being covered in syrupy liquid. Gasping as the last of the glass drained away, Hermione glared across the table at her drinking partner stopping just short of shaking her finger at Tracey Davis. The Slytherin just smirked back at her. "Was that really necessary?"

"You need to loosen up, Granger. They'll be back. Relax a little."

"It is nearly time to head back. What are we supposed to say if they don't make it here? I'm not used to this!"

"What being a secret agent, lying in general, or being flustered? Cause you've been flustered almost the entire day, Miss Lion," Tracey commented with a laugh.

Hermione's huffed and crossed her arms falling back in her chair and trying to avoid looking like she was pouting. "Well, if you'd stop lacing innuendo into nearly every other sentence, I'd stop having to blush at everything you say."

"Hey, if we're on a date I'm going to have some fun with it."

"We are _not_ on a date," Hermione replied firmly.

"If it flies like a dragon, spits fire like a dragon, and roars like a dragon, it's a dragon, Granger," Tracey said grinning widely as Rosmerta set another two butterbeers down on the table in front of them.

Hermione rubbed at her temple. "I thought you liked Daphne?"

"I do, but Daphne is avoiding me every chance she gets and I'm starting to get the feeling that no matter what I do that's not going to change. So I'm going to start exploring other options in case I can't convince her to change her mind. You're a Gryffindor so you're forbidden fruit, and literally fell into my lap. That's awesome!"

"So I'm just some second fiddle to your first choice?" Hermione groused, back to glaring at the brunette.

Tracey laughed. "Thought this wasn't a date?"

"You are infuriating!"

"I get that a lot."

"Arg!" Hermione downed half the new butterbeer and turned her frustration on the ticking clock. "Less than five minutes! What are we supposed to do, Tracey? I can hide library books in my bag perfectly well, but I have no idea how to hide three missing students!"

"Just calm down. We just misdirect when Filch starts poking around and trust that they can sneak back into the castle on their own. Easy as pie," Tracey said shrugging.

"Who's got pie?" an amused voice asked from over Hermione's shoulder. Her head whipped around fast enough that her frizzled hair smacked the side of her face though Hermione ignored it, choosing to focus instead on the incredibly welcome sight of Harry, Rose and Gabrielle striding towards them. Well, Harry and Gabrielle were striding towards them at least. Rose was practically skipping along, with quite possibly the widest, happiest smile that Hermione had ever seen crossing the redhead's face. "Well, don't just stare at me!" Rose said casting her eyes around the room in obvious fruitless search of the missing pie. "Where's the pie?!"

"Wow, what happened to you?" Tracey asked blinking repeatedly as she stared wide-eyed at Rose. "You go away for a few hours and all of a sudden you're a ray of sunshine and unicorns. There was a betting pool in our House that you didn't even have the muscles needed for smiling."

"I had a good day. Well…32 minutes worth of a good day. Eight times longer than the last time!" Rose replied her eyes taking on a gleam that for some reason sent a shiver down Hermione's spine and raised goosebumps along her arms.

Tracey opened her mouth to say something though she swallowed her comment before speaking. She tried again a moment later. "You know, normally, I'd say something about how Gabrielle wasn't trying hard enough if she only lasted four minutes the first time through, but…something makes me feel like you aren't talking about _that_ at all."

"We don't want to know what you're actually talking about, do we?" Hermione asked softly.

"No, you probably don't," Harry agreed with a nod. "It's safer for you too. Come on, we should head to the carriages."

Hermione suppressed another shudder. She'd chosen her side and she'd had a good idea about what these three would be up to when Harry had asked for an alibi. Malfoy's disappearance had been unsettling, although considering how dangerous Hogwarts could be, not really that unusual. Snape's vanishing had set off alarm bells. Skeeter's silence…had confirmed it. Once was happenstance, twice was coincidence, three times was hostile action. Hermione had known someone was likely to 'disappear' if she helped the trio today. Yet, she'd helped them anyway.

Harry and Rose had stood by her when no one else had. They had supported her when her own House called her…strange. They had studied with her. They had not abandoned her. They were the only ones to have her back when the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws started saying she was cheating on exams. They were _loyal_. She would be too.

And, truth be told, they were probably time travelers anyway, so in all likelihood they knew exactly what they were doing and these people who were being killed had done something awful and deserved it or would deserve it. Snape and Skeeter certainly had sordid enough pasts and after what Malfoy had tried to do to Luna two years back…no tears were going to be shed on her part over his passing. What sort of budding sociopath attempts to lock an 11 year old in a cold cupboard over the weekend while she's in her underthings?!

"Earth to Hermione!" Tracey's voice cut through her musing. Shaking her head, Hermione flashed a smile at the group, grabbed her bag and stood.

"Sorry, spaced out for a moment. I was thinking about that homework assignment for tomorrow."

"No, you were thinking about what other books you could nick from Pince without her realizing it before hightailing it for France," Tracey replied laughing.

Hermione faked a heavy sigh and mumbled under her breath about pushy Slytherins. "We're not sure which country we're moving to yet actually and, for your information, I have already recovered nearly everything that is worth keeping from the Hogwarts library."

"Our little thief," Rose said throwing an arm over Hermione's shoulder and squeezing her. "I'm so proud."

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Let's go."

Following along in the wake of her friends Hermione allowed herself a small smile. Harry had his arm looped through Gabrielle's and they were chattering with Tracey about what the Slytherin had gotten up to with Hermione during their time in town. Rose was alternating between clasping her arms behind her head while skipping down the road and giggling while leaping from side to side in front of the small group playfully pecking first Gabrielle then Harry on the cheek.

Yes, she had chosen her side. She may not understand exactly what had happened or why her friends had felt it necessary to tear the laws of the universe asunder, and she'd likely never ask. But she could see that whatever had happened to them, they were slowly starting to heal from it. With each enemy combatant preemptively lain to rest, the Potters and Gabrielle were laying their demons down one at a time as well. By the time she'd realized they had changed mannerisms and relationships, by the time she'd realized the only _real_ explanation possible – at least the only one coupled with her parent's sudden urge to leave the country – she'd known that miracles didn't exist. Harry, Rose and Gabrielle would never have been able to save Britain.

Though perhaps…perhaps they could save their friends and themselves; without getting lost while doing so. All they needed was a little bit of help along the way.

"Hermione, hurry up! We're going to be the last ones to the carriage!" Rose shouted with a laugh as she ran back and wrapped the brunette's arm in her own, pulling Hermione along towards the rest of the group.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Hermione said rolling her eyes and stepping along in the wake of the twin. "Lead on you menace. Lead on."

* * *

The warmth spreading through Gabrielle's chest had nothing to do with the fire raging through her Veela heritage and everything to do with the mirth evident in her love. Umbridge's demise was messy and should not have brought nearly as much satisfaction as it had, yet Rose was light as a feather with Harry floating along with her and Gabrielle was content to follow in their wake. Whether this mood would last remained to be seen – and knowing Rose for as long as she had, Gabrielle knew it was unlikely to remain for long – so she'd enjoy it as long as she could.

Rose snorted at something that Tracey said and punched the pony-tailed girl in the shoulder. Tracey waved off the comment and eyed Gabrielle with raised eyebrows and a smirk. Quirking her lips, and tuning back in Gabrielle asked, "Yes? Can I 'elp you with somezing?"

"Oh nothing, nothing. I was just wondering if you have any tips on fancy lingerie now that you're all big and hot and stuff."

The urge to groan was quite nearly overwhelming though she managed to fight it off. Tracey couldn't help being young and the girl was rather endearing in her own way. It was a shame they hadn't gotten to know her the first time around. Well, actually no, it wasn't. The fewer things to tie them to that old life the better. "Well, you can never go wrong with ze lace and ze garter belts. Ozer zan zat, eh, it is trial and error. For instance, 'arry here likes red thongs while Rose prefers green crotchless options."

"Hey! That's private!" Harry exclaimed while Rose squeaked and buried her red face in her hands. Gabrielle just winked at them as Tracey laughed. Hermione steadfastly ignored all of them and pretended – rather unsuccessfully – that she wasn't hearing anything.

As the carriage ground to halt on Hogwarts grounds and the students started to go their separate ways, Gabrielle's attention was caught by her sister hurrying towards the grouping. Fleur stopped a short ways away shuffling awkwardly as she waved. "It appears I am being summoned. I will catch up with you all later tonight," Gabrielle murmured a short excuse to her beloveds and hurried over. Better to get this over with now rather than letting whatever it was fester. Letting things lie had been what led to the previous split in the Delacour family.

Gabrielle fell into step with her sister as they both started to walk back around the castle grounds. They had traveled for nearly five minutes in silence before Fleur finally reached over and smoothed a stray lock of blonde hair on Gabrielle's head. "When did you become so much older, Gabrielle?" Fleur asked, her voice so soft it was as if the wind itself was speaking.

Gabrielle frowned. "You saw the Change come on, Fleur. It was not so long ago zat zis 'appened."

"We both know zis is not what I mean." Fleur sighed and stopped, moving to sit on a rock by the lake. She took a stone and idly threw it, skipping the little thing through five bounces before it sunk under the surface.

Sitting beside her sister, Gabrielle smiled and chose a stone of her own to throw it across the water. "Darn, only three skips. I used to be better at this."

"Your accent is slipping again, sister," Fleur sighed.

Gabrielle shut her eyes and let out a long breath slowly turning to look at Fleur, giving the young woman a careful nod. "Should I even bother with it?"

" 'ow much of it is real?"

"Sometimes I forget…" Gabrielle looked back over the lake and laid her chin in one hand, using the other to cast another stone over the water. "Probably about a quarter zese days. It does not help that trying to fake the accent has forced me back into bad habits again. I _hate_ zis cliché French lilt!"

Fleur threw her own rock managing seven skips. "I want to let you tell me yourself what is truly going on, I want to give you that trust. It's just…"

"You can't. You need to know."

"I need to know what 'appened to my sister," Fleur whispered throwing another stone. It didn't even skip once, instead sinking immediately beneath the lake. Fleur pulled both legs up to her chin and hugged them tight to her chest. "You are my family, Gabrielle. I need to know that you are okay."

Gabrielle remained silent, simply staring at the water and the reflection of the bright orange, setting sun. Finally she said, "I am not okay, but I am getting there. Slowly. We all are. Rose, 'arry, me; we are getting better, it is just taking a while. We didn't have many friends and we were alone for a long time, Fleur."

"You had your family."

"No, I did not. You chose your path and I chose mine. We walked different ways, Fleur. We did not see eye to eye. By the time we spoke our last, I sometimes felt that we did not even see the same continent anymore."

Fleur's breath hitched in the manner that Gabrielle remembered heralded either a sob or a rebuke. It was hard to remember which sometimes. Fleur's moods tended to go either way depending on just who was upsetting her. "You are older zen, aren't you?" Fleur asked.

"You already knew that, or you wouldn't be asking me zese questions, Fleur."

"How old?"

"Don't ask."

"How old, Gabi? How much have I missed? How long did I drive you away for?"

Ah, so it was a sob then. Gabrielle refused to turn her head. She wouldn't see her sister cry. "Please don't call me that. I don't like that name anymore. It makes me feel like a child. I'm not a child anymore, Fleur. If you must refer to me by another name, you can use 'Elle'. 'Ella' is reserved for 'arry and Rose." She paused for a moment before sighing and continuing. "I don't want to tell you everything. You shouldn't have to know. We've changed enough by now zat it won't 'appen the same way. Already you and I are talking. You are my sister again instead of a relative that I just exchange Christmas cards with."

"Please…Elle, can you tell me _something_?" Fleur asked.

Gabrielle felt the delicate hand clasp on her arm and her resolve started to crumble. She would protect her sister, but Fleur did deserve some answers. "I can…give you a little bit. The Ministry in zis country is evil. It is run by petulant, 'orrible, rats zat barely count as 'uman. Zey targeted 'arry believing they could use him as a piece on a board against Dumbledore. They wiped the mind and bound the magic of my Mate. It broke Rose. I found her; I saved her from herself. You…My family disagreed very strongly with my actions."

Fleur gasped. "We kept you from coming to him?"

"You had reason to believe it was foolish and I was a stupid prideful little girl. I did not explain myself well. I know zat now. It did not change that I felt betrayed and alone. I came to Rose and together we searched for our lost beloved. It…took a long time to find him. But we did, and now we are here again and we are making things right."

"Making things right…" Fleur fell silent. Her hand clenched tighter and she gasped. "Gabrielle, you don't mean…? The disappearances?!"

"We are making things right."

"They are – "

" _Evil_!" Gabrielle spat. She clenched her hand and the rock that she had grabbed heated up in her palm to such a degree that when she threw it over the lake it left little pockets of steam whipping into the air behind it. "Zose creatures sentenced my loves to a decade of pain and despair and horror while tearing their hearts from their chests! 'arry didn't even know _why_ he was 'urting! All he knew was zat he couldn't hold any relationship for longer than a week and I watched Rose come apart at the seams more times than I can count! Zey are evil and zey and zis country will pay," Gabrielle finished with a growl. She laid her smoking hands on the ground and shut her eyes breathing deeply. Fleur thankfully, stayed quiet beside her as Gabrielle fought to calm the inferno raging inside her.

After what felt like an eternity, with the warmth of the setting sun sliding from her face down to her chest, Gabrielle finally opened her eyes again. "I am sorry. I said I wasn't okay, at the beginning of this conversation. We are getting better, but outbursts like that still happen. As the people responsible for our past trauma are removed from play, they are happening less."

"Gabrielle…" Fleur hesitated as her voice trailed off. The pause was long enough that Gabrielle started wondering if this would be the instant where she lost her family again. She could deal with it. She'd had practice after all and while it would be unfortunate and wasn't what she'd hoped for at all now that she had them back, she could understand if Fleur – "Sister, you can't keep going on like this!" Fleur sobbed as she wrapped Gabrielle into a hug and wrestled the surprised younger sister onto her lap. Gabrielle was too stunned to bother protesting. "Zis is not 'ealthy. Not for you and not for zem. I don't agree with what you are doing, but I can understand why if you are zis hurt by zem. You need 'elp, Gabrielle. You can't just keep 'urting people and 'oping it will make zings better."

"We've already agreed to start seeing a psychiatrist or something after we leave this 'orrible place. It was one of the conditions for getting Dora Tonks to help us," Gabrielle said. She shifted, snuggling down a bit and letting Fleur cling to her tighter. "Zis is nice…"

"I'm sorry zat we did not support you, Gabrielle," Fleur whispered. "We are your family and we should've been zere for you. I cannot speak for Mama and Papa, but I will always be 'ere for you. If you or your Bonded need to run – quickly – you come to me. I will get you out of zis country somehow. I don't know how many others are 'elping you and I don't care. You are my sister, I love you, you are 'urting and it is partially my fault even if it was due to somezing zat was done by a…different version of 'me'. I will always be 'ere to give you whatever you and zose you love need, Gabrielle. All you need do is ask."

Gabrielle smiled. She twisted enough so that she could wrap an arm around Fleur's back and squeezed while leaning up to kiss Fleur's cheek. "Zank you," she murmured. "I love you too, Fleur. Now I do need to ask you to do one thing for me."

"Anyzing."

"Lose," Gabrielle said biting back a soft sob of her own. She knew how much this competition meant to her sister and asking her to throw the fight hurt far more than she had ever expected it to even knowing the stakes involved. "You can't touch that Cup, Fleur."

Fleur remained silent for a long moment before sighing heavily. "It is trapped isn't it?"

"Unless things have changed massively since last time…yes. 'arry is prepared, but we can't back him up because the location is under a Fidelius. You _can't_ touch that Cup first, Fleur. They'll kill you and we'll never even get your body back. Please, promise me you won't touch that Cup, Fleur. Promise me!"

"I promise. I…I had only wanted to prove zat I was more zan a pretty face, but I would razer lose and support my sister zan die fighting for my own pride. Are you certain zat your Bonded will be okay? I can try to 'elp 'im," Fleur said pushing Gabrielle out enough that they could look at each other again. "Ze timing would likely be difficult, but I'm certain we could grab it togezer. Zen he could 'ave…what is zat word…backup!"

"Thank you for offering, but no. You don't want any part in what's coming at the end of that journey, Fleur." Gabrielle grimaced. "We have several options that 'arry can pursue and I don't want you near any of them. Best case, he walks away clean with a non-aggression agreement. Worst-case, he's fighting as he runs for the hills and baits Voldemort into following for a public showdown against Dumbledore. Most likely it'll be somewhere in ze middle. None of our plans are helped by having someone else there and many are made far more difficult if he has to watch out for another person. 'arry has a final trump card that he can play if he has to. We hope to avoid it if we can as it does rather tie us into a corner for a few decades and if there is anyone else nearby to overhear, they would likely be killed as a matter of course during the negotiations. Hence, NO ALLIES! Okay?"

Fleur let go of Gabrielle and rubbed at her temple groaning. "I missed being ze older sister. I am supposed to be ze one who knows what is going one and explains to _you_ 'ow ze world works, Elle."

Gabrielle laughed and playfully ruffled Fleur's hair giggling. "I can go back to pretending to be ze sweet and innocent leetle girl you remember me as once 'arry returns from ze Task, Fleur. Deal?"

"Just be yourself, Gabrielle," Fleur responded rolling her eyes. "I won't ask you to hide who you are. Besides I can at least beat you with the skipping of the stones still little one!"

"Not now that I've gotten my practice in again!"

"Oh? What is it the English say? Put your galleons where your purse is then!"

"I think it's, put your galleons where your hand is."

Fleur blinked at her and laughed. "That makes even less sense!"

Gabrielle shook her head and shrugged grabbing for a rock as she rolled off of Fleur. "Eh, I'll ask Rose or 'arry later. Now, let's answer this challenge!"

* * *

Dora was pouring her coffee when the running and whispering started. Three people passed her and there were at least five shouts in the distance before Shacklebolt hurried himself to her side with a heavy frown marring his features. She sipped her drink and made sure to shift her hair to a darker brown as she lowered her mug, letting her features shift into what she considered her 'worried' look. The angled chin and the sharper cheekbones tended to evoke a more focused appearance and ensure that people assumed she was paying attention and not smirking inside.

"What's happened, Shack?"

"The Senior Undersecretary has disappeared," he rumbled. Shacklebolt shook his head and motioned to the side. Dora followed as he walked back to the Auror pit. "We don't have many details at the moment. All we know for sure is that three individuals claiming to be part of a project that Umbridge had them working on went to see her earlier. None walked out of the room afterwards and when someone went to check on the Undersecretary, there were signs of a struggle. Scrimgeour just sent someone to look into the three who had spoken with Umbridge. Apparently they had been acting oddly."

Dora nodded. She stifled a groan, wondering if the trio had intentionally managed to set off alarm bells or if they had just started losing their cool as they got closer and closer to the Umbitch. Hopefully it had been the former but knowing the twins…"So are we thinking polyjuice or Imperious?"

"Scrimgeour is leaning towards the latter; I think the former. Dawlish should be back in a few minutes with information that helps us sort out what's going on with the ringleader so we'll probably know one way or the other shortly."

"Why did you wait so long to come get me?" Dora asked. She let her hair bleed a bit red. It wouldn't due to appear _too_ angry. She needed to show that she was annoyed, but not play it up too much.

"This just happened, Tonks. We're only about ten minutes into the discovery and I've been running around. I sent two of the junior Aurors to find you. Apparently one of them was scared you would – and I quote – 'beat his arse into a pulp' and decided to get one of their friends to get you instead. That guy got lost."

"Idiots," Dora said rolling her eyes. " _Now_ I'll beat his arse. What was his name?"

"No idea. I'll point him out later after we figure out where Umbridge was taken."

"Do we have to do that fast? Can't we let her sweat for a little? You realize she's basically evil incarnate right, Shack?"

Shacklebolt slowed. "I wish I could disagree. Unfortunately, the Minister is having a conniption and we're not going to be able to drag our heels at all. Besides, what would you do if she died because we took too long finding her?"

"Honestly? Throw a party, Shack. She's literally the worst thing about this entire government and has single-handedly thrown us back almost half a century just by virtue of being a bigoted xenophobe. I almost want to give whoever took her a medal."

Shack rubbed at his temple and groaned. "Tonks…do me a favor and try not to advertise that too loudly. At least not while the Minister is around. Or Scrimgeour for that matter; the man may be a good Auror, but he's also a politician."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'll do my job, Shack, we'll find the evil toad. I can only hope someone has clipped her tongue first, before we track her down…"

Shacklebolt groaned again. Together they stepped into the Auror pit and threaded themselves into the grouping of their peers.

"…Jonathan Johnson failed to provide any leads," Dawlish was reporting to the group as he flipped a notepad. "He and his two teammates were stunned from behind and awoke tied up in their homes. There was a note left on each of their heads with a single word: 'Sorry'. Their wands were nearby as was an empty vial with remnants of polyjuice potion. All residual traces of magic have been wiped clean from the evidence."

Dora rolled her eyes as her colleague finished his report. The trio had gone for flamboyant instead of shadowy then. That made sense though considering they did actually want the Umbitch to be found missing as quickly as possible. She had been wondering if she was going to have to try to protect the innocent patsies though it looked like at least one of the group had been cool enough to consider the wider scheme of things.

In contrast to Dora's utter disregard and Dawlish's calm statement of fact, Cornelius Fudge was darn near hyperventilating as he twisting his ugly bowler hat and stared at Dawlish with a twitching eye. "Well obviously it's a plant! That Johnson fellow placed a used bottle of potion there to set us on the wrong path. I demand you throw him in Azkaban this instant and keep him there until he tells you just what he has done with the Senior Undersecretary!"

"Now Minister that is a bit hasty," Scrimgeour said sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Oi!" Dora yelled, crossing her arms and making sure to flare her hair colors a bit. "We don't tell you how to run the country, Minister, so why don't you kindly stay out of our Auroring business, yeah?"

"Toonks," Shacklebolt murmured warningly beside her.

"It didn't go over so well when you forced us to arrest Hagrid or spend all that time pursuing Sirius Black now did it, _Minister_? How about those Dementors at Hogwarts?" Dora continued, a wicked smile spreading across her features that she made no attempt to hide. Shacklebolt grabbed her arm though Dora shook him off and stepped forward. Scrimgeour groaned and wiped a hand down his face though made no move to stop her. That more than anything said how much of an arse Fudge had been in the few minutes it had taken Shacklebolt to come and get her.

"Now see here I am the Minister for Magic and I – "

"Know jack squat about being an Auror." Dora stepped right up to Fudge and poked him in the chest. Fudge cringed and took a step back then kept retreating as Dora kept up with the accusations. "Do you know the spell to determine magical signature residue? _Revitante_. Do you know the methods of checking for how long someone's been stunned or how long it's been since they gone and woke up? _Turpite_ , _Episkant_ , and _Yarkule marco_. Do you know how to check a scene to see if something's too clean and obviously staged or if it looks like maybe somebody that don't belong has been messing around in the room and had to check a few cupboards first to find the right spot to put something to make sure it was visible? No? Right then. Get out outta our hair _Minister_ and let the _Aurors_ do our _job_." By the end of her little speech Fudge was flush with the wall and her finger was planted firm in his chest crushing the stupid little lime-green bowler hat.

Fudge sputtered for a moment before seeming to recover a bit of bluster and swipe the hat to the side taking Dora's finger from his chest. At least that seemed to be his intention – all it succeeded in doing was making him look even more foolish as her finger stayed firmly planted. Fudge just scowled deeper and said, "It's no secret that you hate Dolores! How am I supposed to trust that this investigation is going to get anything done if I don't personally oversee it?"

"Course I hate the bitch. Everyone hates the stupid toad 'cept you. What does she do for you, Minister? Does she blow you every day?" As his face turned red and Scrimgeour stepped forward to finally cut her off Dora dropped her finger and stepped back with a scoff. "Or is she just your fixer? We'll find the horrible little cretin because that's what we do. We do things that we don't like because _it's our job_. The longer you sit here throwing your weight around the more unlikely it is that we find Umbridge before she squeals all your dirty little secrets. So if you want her found…Get. OUT!"

The room fell deathly quiet as all whispers and side conversations dropped off waiting with held breaths to see Fudge's reactions. Amazingly enough, the fool managed to not pick up his earlier rants. Instead, Fudge shoved his bowler hat onto his head – utterly unheeding how a large portion in the middle was still caved in from Dora's abuse – and stalked between the assembled Aurors towards the door. He had just about reached it before turning and addressing Scrimgeour directly. "See that my Undersecretary is found or I will see your resignation on my desk within the week. Hers as well!" With a final huff Fudge turned and stalked out, the door swinging shut behind him.

Dora turned to Scrimgeour and raised an eyebrow. "So, are we going to get to work now finally, Boss?"

* * *

Amelia Bones sighed as she read the report on her desk several hours later. After fully skimming the document she raised her head and met Shacklebolt's eyes. "Tell me this isn't true. Tell me she didn't go off on the Minister for Magic."

"She did."

Bones groaned, the quill in her hand breaking in half as she clenched her fist too tightly for the poor writing instrument. "Bloody hell. Was it at least warranted?"

"Honestly, Ma'am? Yes, it was. One of us would've stopped her had she gone too far. We almost did at one point, but she pulled herself back from the edge."

"Fudge is on the warpath with this, Shack. He's been in and out of my office five times in the past twenty minutes."

"I know."

"Scrimgeour is going to do everything he can to find her."

"I know that too."

"She was kidnapped from _inside the Ministry_! We're supposed to be safe in here…" Bones trailed off and her eyes unfocused as her mind drifted back to the recent conversation about a returning Dark Lord. "You don't think she went…willingly do you?"

"The evidence doesn't not suggest that, Ma'am," Shacklebolt said with a grimace.

"I'm not sure if that's better or worse." She set the pieces of her quill down and clasped her hands together. "I recently received a warning about potential things to come. I…dismissed it as a flight of fancy. I thought we were safe, perhaps I was too quick to judge."

Shacklebolt frowned and leaned forward shaking his head. "I'm not certain what you are talking about, Ma'am."

"So they didn't approach you," Bones murmured. "That makes sense. I was only warned because of Susan. Damn. Okay, how about this then: have you been approached by Dumbledore regarding any worrying movements from the Dark? I know that you used to be one of his trusted in the last war."

"Ah, now I see why you brought _me_ in here instead of the head of the Aurors." Shacklebolt sighed before he continued. "I have seen a recent uptick in gatherings amongst You-Know-Who's old supporters. Nothing that can be proven Ma'am and nothing that can be actively pursued. Merely things that stand out to someone looking for a pattern amongst repeat offenders. Dumbledore himself has yet to contact me regarding anything specific, however I imagine it only a matter of time considering young Harry Potter's entry into the Tournament. If it's not the old enemy, it will be an upstart bearing his banner."

Amelia's scowl deepened. "That just _can't_ happen! If it was going to happen it would've happened years ago!"

"And yet events move as they will, Ma'am." Shacklebolt shrugged and stood, pushing in his chair. "If that's all, I have an investigation to get back to. I may not particularly like Umbridge, but I would prefer not to lose one our best Aurors and a decent Head, just because the Minister is a stupid, petty man who can't understand how the real world works."

As the door swung shut behind him Bones looked down at her desk and her shaking hand. "You're never going to find her…not unless _He_ wants her found. This was a message…this was a message."

* * *

"Thank you for meeting with me today, Sirius," Dumbledore said as he settled into the chair behind his desk appearing at least a dozen years older than the last time Sirius has seen him. It damn near broke the old dog's heart to see the old man appear so weary and yet, time and again, this same old man had failed the people closest to Sirius; so he couldn't really find it in himself to want to pour a glass of whiskey for whatever was ailing Dumbledore.

"You said it was urgent and that it couldn't wait for the next meeting of the Order. What's going on that I had to sneak into the castle, Albus?"

Dumbledore took off his glasses and wiped them on his handkerchief before replacing them and meeting Sirius' eyes. Both of them knew that the Headmaster wouldn't be trying for any Legilimency probes; the Black family was quite adept at their Occlumency training. "I do not know if you are aware yet Sirius, but Dolores Umbridge has gone missing. More, she has been kidnapped, possibly by Death Eaters acting on Voldemort's orders. All of this from within the Ministry of Magic itself, mere meters from the office of the Minister."

Sirius nodded. "The Aurors are in a tizzy and it's plastered all over the papers. You'd have to be blind to miss that someone nabbed her. And why are you fingering the Death Eaters, Albus? She's done more to support their cause behind her desk than she'd ever do with a mask on or dead in a ditch."

"The chaos her disappearance has caused – "

"Is a momentary annoyance. At best it'll last a few weeks. Fudge'll freak out, the Aurors will ramp up patrols, and security in the Ministry will be heightened. Hell, this might be a good thing."

Dumbledore reared back as if Sirius had physically struck him. "How could say that?! A woman has been kidnapped!"

"Calling Dolores Umbridge a woman is highly suspect, not to mention insulting to women everywhere," Sirius scoffed. "She's a walking plague, Albus. If someone wanted to get rid of her then I say good riddance. She's done a lot of harm to the progressives over the years since Fudge elevated her and she's done a lot against half-bloods, half-breeds, and Muggleborns even before that while she was climbing the ranks. I've done my research and I've been talking with Andi. She's a bad egg, Albus. Even better, considering where she was taken from, maybe this will be enough to convince the Ministry to spring for better security and screen some of their people. It might be harder to sneak an _actual_ Death Eater in now."

Dumbledore shook his head, beard flying side to side. "Be that as it may, we must find who took Umbridge. I will grant you that she was detrimental to our cause, but that is no reason to wish her ill."

"You ask for forgiveness for everyone even when it's not deserved, Albus." Sirius sighed and leaned forward to steeple his fingers while leaning on Dumbledore's desk. "Ask your questions, Headmaster. We both know that I didn't do it since I couldn't have gotten into the Ministry undetected and we both know that I can't really go and investigate since I'm still mostly stuck at Grimmauld. So by process of elimination you either want to ask me about Harry and Rose or about Andi and Tonks. So which is it, Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore closed his eyes and slumped in his chair. Sirius revised the headmaster's apparent age upwards yet again, heaving a mental sigh that he was correct in his assessment. The day that he had started to take to heart the political lessons from his parents was a sad day indeed. "Harry and Rose. There was a Hogsmeade outing during the suspected time period of the kidnapping. Several personnel have turned up missing lately surrounding the Potter twins, Sirius. I am…becoming very concerned. There are details at work here that complicate matters. Details that I am worried have caused Harry to become…compromised."

"Oh, really? Care to elaborate? I am the boy's Godfather after all." If Dumbledore would just give them something, anything really…

"I am sorry, Sirius. This is a sensitive issue and it must remain in a very limited circle of knowledge. You must trust me. I can protect Harry, but only if I know what he has done and am able to control the spread of knowledge about his affliction."

Sirius grit his teeth. So Horcruxes were considered afflictions now apparently. That was just peachy. "Okay let's try a different tack then. How long has Harry dealt with this 'condition'?"

"Since Voldemort first came after him." Dumbledore's hands clasped and his gaze dropped to the table. "I wish there was something I could do to remove the taint immediately, but there is nothing that can be done at this time. It is delicate. I have a plan. It is unfortunately something that cannot be rushed and must be kept secret to have any chance of working. In the interim though, Harry may be acting on urges that are not his own and dragging innocents into situations that they are not prepared for."

Sirius had to swallow laughter that threatened to bubble up at that. From what he'd seen that trio was more prepared for the death they were dealing than he was – and he was a former Auror! "Look Dumbledore, I don't know what you're playing at, but Harry is fully in control of himself. He's an angry lad sometimes sure, but if you'd seen what he was forced to grow up with – thanks in large part to _yourself_ might I remind you – you'd understand that he has reason to be. And in case you haven't noticed, Harry has calmed down quite a lot recently. Rose is the angry one these days."

"And yet, I am worried. He has a history…"

"So do you. Grindelwald and Ariana," Sirius said his voice so soft that it almost didn't carry across the desk. It still caused Dumbledore to pale and the man's hands to shake. Sirius' eyes narrowed and he laid his arms on the arms of his chair. "Dumbledore, Harry is _fine_. His family is taking care of his issues. Leave it be. If you're worried about Umbridge don't be; they don't even know who the bitch is. And to top things off, they were having a double date with Hermione and Tracey while in Hogsmeade. I know because I wanted to meet with them and instead got to watch them having fun together for a few hours. Are we done here?"

Dumbledore didn't lift his head from its hanging position as he murmured softly, "Sirius, if you are lying to me please don't. I…I just want to help, but I need to be aware of all of the details regarding the boy in order to be able to do so. He has shut me out. I understand that he and Rose feel they have grievances with me, and I acknowledge that some of their concerns are legitimate, however they are overreacting. You must see that. What they are accusing the Dursleys of simply cannot be true! I understand the need to be together with one you love, but their urge to remain together has clouded their judgment and it has led to false accusations against – "

Sirius stood slammed his hands on the desk as a growl escaped his throat. "Stop. Stop right now, Dumbledore before you say something that we'll both regret." Mercifully the headmaster listened and fell silent, his old teacher finally lifting his head up to meet Sirius' eyes. "Listen to me carefully Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore because I am only going to say this once. You are a good man. You look for the best in people. That makes you the _worst_ possible person to have _ever_ chosen who to send Lily's children to after her death. Petunia Evans was a spiteful bitch, her husband was a paranoid arse terrified of magic. Together they reinforced each other's issues making each a thousand times worse. You are a good person. They are _not_! Everything that Harry and Rose have accused Vernon and Petunia of is not only true it's _downplayed_ , Albus! They _hate_ talking about what was done to them because it makes them feel weak."

Sirius paused and panted trying to catch his breath. His fingers dug into the wood underneath them. Dumbledore opened his mouth to say something, but Sirius cut him off. "No, I am talking! To the twins the Dursleys are more of a monster than Voldemort ever could be. Voldemort just kills people. He mostly tortures his own underlings and when he is torturing others it's just for a few minutes. A few days at most. They suffered for over a decade under Vernon and Petunia! If they were still living at that house when I got free and if Tonks hadn't already taken them in, I would've murdered those evil bastards myself. So don't you EVER say that they are overreacting again. Do. You. Understand. Me?"

"She was Lily's _sister_ ," Dumbledore whispered. The sound came out sounding more like a plea than anything resembling a statement.

"And she stopped being family a long time before those kids were ever born. Stop assigning your values to others, Albus." Sirius pushed back from the desk and scowled. "I know your heart is in the right place, but that doesn't give you carte blanche to move us like pawns on your board for an 'affliction' you won't tell us about that Harry doesn't even show symptoms of. Leave my family alone, Albus. Your job is done. It ended the day you gave them away to the Dursleys and never checked back in. The Blacks and the Delacours have it from here."

As he walked to the door Dumbledore shouted out one last comment. "But, the blood protections! Sirius, one of them simply must return to that home in order to renew the protection magic that Lily granted them!"

"That's not your concern, Albus. Like I said, let their real family take over. Stay away from us."

He slammed the door to the Headmaster's office behind him breathing hard. Closing his eyes Sirius tried to get his breathing under control as the staircase started to wind downwards under him. "Bloody hell, now I know why they always get so riled up. For Merlin's sake, Albus, why can't you get it through your thick beard that some people just aren't worth second chances?" He sighed and wiped a hand down his face as the gargoyle came into sight. Shifting into Padfoot, Sirius darted out from the opening as the statue moved aside, and headed off for the seventh floor. With luck maybe he'd be able to at least say hello to his godchildren.

Getting through the castle unseen was ridiculously easy. That probably shouldn't have surprised him considering he was a Marauder and still knew the castle like the back of his paw. Plus the last time he infiltrated Hogwarts he had wandered around it virtually unnoticed for almost a year with no one the wiser so…yeah this was easy. He found himself in front of the dancing troll tapestry the twins had told him about within minutes and quickly paced through the three passes required to open the door on the general meeting room. When that didn't work he knew for sure that the kids were in there. Now he just needed to find the right configuration. It took four more tries before finally hitting on the correct type of room that they had requested. Letting his tongue loll out and his tail wag briefly that he probably wasn't about to interrupt anything too private considering they were using it as a training room, Sirius pawed the door open and scampered inside nosing it closed again before shifting back to human.

He turned around only to find two wands pointed at his face and one at his crotch. A sweaty Harry attached to one while Rose was blinked confused to one side and Gabrielle was dropping her own wand to his godson's other side. "Sirius!" Gabrielle exclaimed, leaping forward to engulf him in a hug. "What a pleasure to see you! To what do we owe zis surprise?"

"Yeah, it's a bit weird for you to come all the way to Hogwarts," Harry said returning his own wand to his holster though he stepped forward to hug Sirius as well. "Good to see you though, Padfoot."

"Good to see you too, kids," Sirius said grinning back at them and squeezing the two tight. He didn't reach for Rose. One day she'd come to him and he'd be ready. Until then, he wouldn't push her. God only knew what that girl had had to endure from men pushing her around. "How you doing, Rose?"

"Better than I have been in a long time, Uncle Siri," she replied a small ghost of a smile crossing her lips so briefly that Sirius almost thought he imagined it. "Can I…can I have a hug too?"

The grin that split Sirius' face was echoed on Harry and Gabrielle's as both of them stepped back from him. He opened his arms wide letting Rose step tentatively forward. Her first step was cautious and slow, her second was a bit faster, by her third she practically flew into his arms and buried her head into his chest wrapping herself around him. Sirius held her close and kissed the top of her head. "Glad to hear you're doing well, Red. Even better to actually see proof of it."

"I'm sorry I've been a bitch," she murmured into his chest her words barely loud enough to carry to his ears.

"Well I was a right immature prat to leave you two alone to pursue my revenge so you had every right to be angry with me, Rose."

"That wasn't why I was angry with you."

Gabrielle snorted and dropped down into a comfortable armchair Sirius was reasonably certain hadn't been there a few seconds ago. That confirmed who had set the room's configuration at least. "Actually sweetie, that is exactly why you have been angry with him."

"No it's not!" Rose retorted pulling away and glaring at the blonde.

"Yes, yes it is."

Harry sat down on Gabrielle's lap and smirked at Rose. "Rosy, she's right. Sirius is wrong, but Ella is right."

Sirius blinked and frowned between the three kids. That statement made zero sense whatsoever. He may not have been top of his class, but there was no way for him to be wrong and Gabrielle to be right. They were saying the exact same thing! And yet Rose just frowned, stuck out her finger like she was going to argue, then sighed and nodded. "Fine, maybe you are right."

"So now that you've actually forgiven him for his misstep can we tell him?" Harry asked. "I feel like Sirius is the only person who doesn't have most of the story now and that's really not fair to him anymore, Rosy."

"I already said we could tell him the other night. Jeez, why are you two making me the bad guy here?" She asked throwing her hands up and scowling at her brother.

Harry just smirked in reply. "Because for the past hour you've been throwing tickling hexes and whatever the hell those combo curse things are at me. Ella I swear, everything you invent involves pain in some way!"

Gabrielle shrugged nodding. "Pain or sex. Veelas are built along rather specific lines. When I can't channel my urges into sex, I channel them into rage and pain. Rose was not very satisfying in the one path for a long time, so I found other methods that worked to keep me calm and collected."

Both of the twins turned to stare at their partner while Sirius just got more and more confused and convinced that they were speaking another language that only vaguely sounded like English. "You and your rituals suddenly make so much more sense now…" Rose murmured.

Sirius cleared his throat and all three looked to him as Rose moved to sit on Gabrielle as well. "Right, well, I have no idea what is going on, but since I'd like to chat for a bit and you all sound reasonably up to it, mind making this place a bit more comfortable?" He waved his hand to the rubble and the training dummies and mats strewn about the place.

"Oh, sorry! Forgot." Gabrielle shut her eyes for a moment. An instant later, Sirius had a horrible feeling of vertigo as reality shifted around him and they were in a comfortable sitting room complete with raging fireplace instead of the previous environment.

"Love this place," he muttered falling backwards onto the new couch behind him. "Man, if I had known about this room when I went here I would've gotten so many more girls to go out with me…"

"Typical man," Rose scoffed rolling her eyes though the grin took any potential heat out of the rebuke.

Harry just laughed. "And who keeps dragging us here to have her wicked way with us, hmm?"

"I am a proper lady thank you very much. I would never dream of taking more than one man to this most glorious room," Rose replied her head lifted high in a perfect parody of the pureblood arrogance.

"Yes, because taking your brother is soo much better," Gabrielle said smirking.

Sirius smiled at the trio. They really were doing better than the last time he had seen them. Maybe they weren't quite _okay_ , but they were better. He'd take that over nothing. "So I just wanted to stop in and say hello guys. I was here because Dumbledore wanted me to come in and answer a few questions. In case anyone asks, you three were on a double date with Hermione and Tracey Davis at Hogsmeade yesterday. You may or may not have seen me trailing behind you at some point watching on and playing chaperone."

Harry's scowl seemed to drop the temperature in the room several degrees though Rose's blank expression sent chills down his back and the light smattering of feathers that he saw sprout on Gabrielle's arms didn't bode well either. Hurrying on before things could get out of control Sirius said, "I took care it and I think he finally understands that he needs to leave you guys alone. He genuinely did not seem to get that you could be telling the truth about how you grew up."

"I'm going to kill him," Rose stated as calmly as if she were discussing the weather. If Sirius had thought he had chills before, now it was like someone had taken all of winter and thrown it down his back. "I'm going to tie him up and figure out how to cage Fawkes and then I'm going to drop him right next to Umbridge."

"No you're not," Harry said softly shaking his head.

"Harry," Gabrielle turned to him shifting so that she could look into his eyes fully, "this has to stop. He is never going to leave us alone. He's just as bad as Voldemort. We will never have peace unless we end this now. We are perfectly placed to finish this now before it becomes a problem. We can still set Riddle against the Minister. Bones is staying against our recommendation and Shacklebolt won't leave, neither will Moody. When Fudge departs this mortal coil zey will take over and be enough to keep him busy until we properly disappear."

"No." Harry took a deep breath shaking his head. Sirius stayed carefully quiet. Whatever power play was going on here it was way above his pay grade and he'd already agreed to support the kids no matter what. If he had to try and talk them out of murdering Dumbledore, he was never going to be able to do that on his own anyway. He'd need Tonks and Andi for that to have a hope in hell of succeeding. "Look, if Sirius says that the problem is resolved then let's believe him. Dumbledore would be confronting us himself if he had more than suspicions. We have a good plan right now. We stick to it, girls. Changing things this late in the game is how people wind up dead. We can't fight a two front war. We can't fight a war as it is. We can't do another jump, not without hurting ourselves even more. We have friends and allies now; we're not alone like last time. We all know that we'll do it if we really have to but we'd break worse than we did the first time if it comes to that. No, we stay out of the war, we stick to the plan, and we get the hell away from this country. We let our people deal with Dumbledore and then we let Tom distract him."

"He thinks we're _lying_! About the fucking Dursleys!" Rose shouted her face turning red.

Harry shook his head again. "Rose, think about it. Dumbledore is the king of overestimating people's 'goodness.' Hell, look at us! Any sane person would've tossed us in Azkaban if they had half the suspicions that he does. Of course he doesn't believe us. He thinks Petunia is too much like our mother to be that evil and that no one can be like Vernon and get away with it. He thinks that I'm being influenced by the Horcrux making me a liar and obsessed with possessing you or something. He thinks that you're in love me and that you would say anything to stay with me and ignore whatever weirdness I am doing or saying. He's against us, but we can't kill him just because he's being a jerk and thinks we're lying. From his perspective it's not a bad assumption if you're missing a lot of facts and willfully blind to a lot of others. Besides, we need him alive to keep Voldemort busy while we run."

"I _want_ to kill him," Rose murmured softly turning her face away and staring at the wall.

Harry reached over and placed a hand on her cheek while draping his other hand on Gabrielle's arm. "I know you do. I know you both do. I don't like him either. But we promised Dora we'd try to do better. Doing better means not killing everyone we don't like just because we don't like them. We're not evil like the other guys. We're broken and we're hurt, but we are _not_ wanton murderers. Everyone we kill, we kill _only_ because they directly hurt us or they were never ever going to leave us be. Dumbledore is going to leave us be. So we leave him be. We have to be _better_. We can't stay broken forever."

Rose and Gabrielle both stayed silent for a long time. Sirius breathed so softly he almost felt like he was holding his breath and he crossed his fingers for good luck. Finally, Rose nodded. "Okay. Okay, fine. But I swear to god if he tries to come after us again, Harry, I'm not giving that man any more chances."

"Any neizer will I," Gabrielle practically snarled. " 'e needs to learn zat you do not mess wiz ze Potters!"

"The final task is tomorrow, girls. Just keep it together for one more night. Then we'll be free, Dumbledore will be on another continent, Voldemort will be someone else's problem and the Ministry will be running around like chickens with their heads cut off. We're okay. We've got this. We've got our family, and we're getting better."

The two girls nodded again. Harry smiled and kissed their cheeks. He wrapped an arm around both before shifting Gabrielle out of the center of the chair and taking her place, pulling both down onto his lap. Then he turned to Sirius. "Sorry you had to see that Padfoot, we aren't always the most stable of people."

Sirius let out an extremely heavy sigh and hung his head as he shifted to a sitting position. "I spent twelve years in Azkaban, Harry, I get it. I put on a good front myself, but I'm not always super stable either. What I don't get is just how all three of you are so messed up. I mean yeah, the Dursleys are evil bastards and I want them to suffer in a deep dark goblin pit for the rest of their miserable lives, but that doesn't explain Gabrielle."

Harry chuckled and grinned. His grin was swiftly matched by the other two. "Well, that, Padfoot, is a rather interesting story. Would you like to hear about how the Ministry killed me? Or how Dora fought Voldemort on her own for almost a decade? Or how about how Rose and Ella got tired of me being dead, and decided to make time their bitch just to save us all?"

Sirius blinked. "…What?"

"See, it all starts with a trial…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two recs today since both are fairly short.
> 
> Fanfic Rec: 'Drool' by VonPelt. This is a Harry/Fleur twoshot. In this highly amusing, very well written story, Hermione manages to talk Harry into asking out Fleur to the ball. Later he proceeds to have a dancing lesson with the older girl where one thing leads to another. Probably one of the more amusing twoshots I've read in a while, especially since it sticks fairly close to canon characterization.
> 
> Second Rec: 'The Audition' by Elven Sorcerer. This is a short twoshot with Harry/Hermione/Gabrielle told from Gabrielle's perspective after she transfers into Hogwarts for her final year and befriends H/Hr while proceeding to become highly attracted to both. Unknown to Gabi, both are also into her. It's cute and smutty, is 95% H/Hr making their move on Gabi and is very well written. If you're looking for a short fic with Gabi and don't mind things a bit racier this is a very good choice.


	14. Confrontations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Again, thanks to my beta, Grey Raven 09. This chapter is a bit shorter than the norm, but this spot was just too perfect of a location to avoid splitting it off here. Hopefully everyone enjoys the confrontation!

**Chapter 14: Confrontations**

"You have your Invisibility Cloak?" Rose asked chewing her bottom lip.

"Yes," Harry responded patting a mokeskin pouch disillusioned and stuck, with charms, to the small of his back.

"You have your incendiary runes and explosive potions?" Gabrielle asked running her hands down each arm trying in vain to keep her feathers beneath the skin.

"Yes," Harry replied tapping shrunken bulges on his belt.

"You have your emergency portkey?" Dora asked, her hair a jet black and her arms crossed as she glared at nothing in particular.

"Doubt it'll work, but yes," Harry said laying a hand over his 'locket'.

A bark from Sirius coupled with a whine had Harry nodding and shifting his hand to chest. "Yes, Padfoot, I have the two-way mirror with the channel already opened and silenced as well." Harry smiled at the girls – and dog – arrayed in front of him. "Guys, I'm as prepared for this as I'm going to get. I'm good and I'm ready. We're going to be okay."

"You're about to go face-to-face with the bloody Boogeyman, kid. You're not ready, we can't help, and there's no guarantee that everything is going to be hunky dory at the end of the night," Dora said scowling as her hair briefly flashed to red before settling back to black. "Voldemort is not a schoolkid, or a washed-up Death Eater wannabe, or a stupid reporter, or an evil toad walking around in a person suit. He is a fucking force of nature. Don't get cocky just because you've had some wins and an easy time of things so far, Harry."

"Yes, do not jinx zis when we are so close to our 'appy ending. We can't lose you a second time, 'arry," Gabrielle said, her accent heavier than Harry had ever heard it before. She moved forward and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing her Bonded tight enough he could've sworn he heard a rib crack. "Please be careful."

"I promise, Ella," Harry said softly. He returned Gabrielle's hug as he leaned around her enough to place a soft kiss on her cheek. "I'll be fine. Just be ready to get our people out when I get back."

"We will."

Gabrielle let him go and stepped back. Harry turned to Rose and opened his arms. Rose shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself, turning away and refusing to look at him. "No. No, I'm not doing this. I'm not hugging you, I'm not saying anything meaningful, and I'm not raising any Death Flags. I've played this game, I've read this book, I've seen this movie. I'm not doing it! You're coming back. You're coming back, we're moving countries, and you're going to give Ella and me a lot of little babies with green eyes and blonde and red hair and then we're going to die in a hundred years and get yelled at by our parents for falling in love with each other and risking the world just because we couldn't bear to be apart. So I'm not hugging you!"

Despite the butterflies that had started to fly formations in his chest, Harry chuckled at his sister's speech. "Well I can't fault that logic, Ma'am, but you'll have to forgive me because I myself want a hug. I am going to need a reminder in a few minutes of just why I need to stay calm and not lose my cool in front of that madman." He moved to Rose and pulled her tense form against him squeezing hard. Resting his chin on her shoulder, lips right next to her ear, Harry murmured, "I love you Rose, and I swear to you that I'm coming back. If I don't, you have my permission to fuck this world over. Grab Ella and Dora and Sirius and come get me and then we try again. If you can get some of our friends into the circle grab them too. If you can't, fuck it. We're going to be together forever. No matter what. One way or another. I promise."

Hearing a small sniffle from Rose, he felt more than saw her nod her head. Pressing a soft kiss to the edge of her lips, Harry pulled back and accepted a much more chaste, though no less intimate hug from Dora. "Make sure you get back in one piece," she murmured. "Just because we're like third cousins once removed or something doesn't mean we're not family. I took you guys in and you're mine as sure as if you were born a Black. You kick his arse if it needs kicking or you get the hell out of there. You hear me?"

"I hear you, Dora. I got this. If I can survive Australia, I can survive Voldemort."

Sirius whined and dropped to the ground putting a paw over his eyes. Harry snorted at his godfather's antics and knelt down to ruffle the dog's fur. "Yeah, I know, bad joke. Still, you guys are being all serious and stuff. Someone's gotta stay optimistic or I'm liable to die of a heart attack before the darn thing even starts. That's usually your job, but considering how many people are outside the tent…" Sirius lifted his paw from his snout and shot Harry a look that spoke his exasperation loud enough. Licking Harry's face Sirius shook his head and awkwardly laid a paw on the boy's shoulder. "Quite possibly the weirdest conversation I've ever had," Harry muttered as he stood up.

"Zat's saying somezing coming from someone who regularly speaks to 'is owl." Gabrielle chided with a smile as she bumped his shoulder.

The tent flap opened before Harry could respond and Sprout walked inside with a scowl on her face as she took in Dora, Gabrielle, and Sirius' dog form. "Potter, the Task is starting momentarily. Get out there and try not to embarrass us too badly. Your…friends will have to take their seats."

"You know, Sprout, one of these days, you're going to realize it was a shitty idea to get on our bad side," Rose spat as she glared at their Head of House. "You were supposed to be one of the first adults we could trust. Fat lot of good that ever did."

"Yes, yes, I failed you. What else is new, you spoiled little brat? Some of us have to look out for ourselves little lady. You would do well to remember that lesson. Your brother won't always be there to protect you every second of every day. Get out there now, Potter. I won't say it a third time." Without another word, Sprout turned on her heel and marched back out of the tent ignoring the glares directed at her back.

Dora broke first kneading her temple. "I swear she was never that bad when I was in school. Come on, we better get going."

The others just sighed and nodded, trooping out after her. With one final shared gaze and smile, the others split off towards the stands and Harry took his position next to the other Champions. Now if only he could figure out how to survive this night without resorting to his trump card, everything might just work out fine.

* * *

Harry sighed as he walked around another corner and saw yellow mist on the ground in front of him. Whoever his mysterious benefactor in this tournament was, the bastard was still working to make things easier for him this time around just like the original attempt. As Harry strolled through the changing gravity with his eyes firmly shut, he scowled, thinking hard. It was technically a good thing that he was avoiding most of the worst things in this maze, since that was increasing his chances of getting to the Cup first and keeping his appointment with Voldemort. Fleur already knew to keep the others from the Cup if she got there before he did too so it was two against two plus his helper.

Except this 'helper' was an unknown. The conspirator had never been unmasked in the original timeline and they never got around to trying to piece together who he might be in this timeline either considering they were preoccupied with their revenge. It wasn't supposed to be important since they had bigger fish to fry, but if the shite hit the fan…Harry picked up the pace. Whoever was clearing his path could easily screw them all over just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time and getting the jump on them just when they thought they were safe. He needed to hurry and finish this stupid run so that his family could get the hell out of this death trap of a country.

As Harry hurtled around another turn, he came face to face with a boggart. At least, he assumed it was a boggart considering Rose and Gabrielle's mutilated corpses had no business being in the middle of the Third Task hedge maze. A growl rumbling forth from deep within his chest that shook his entire body. Harry didn't even bother stopping to think to of some way to make that funny; there was no way to make the blood-soaked bodies of his loves funny. Instead, Harry hurled a burst of raw, unformed _power_ at the boggart in front of him. The bodies flew through the air, squealing as they impacted with a wet squelching sound against the wall of the maze. A second later the creature had morphed into an indistinct mass of blackness before disappearing down a bend.

Not even bothering to calm his racing heart or slow his pounding steps, Harry kept barreling forwards. Such was his focus on his path that he nearly ran headfirst into Viktor Krum as both boys came into an intersection at the same time. Harry only just barely managed to avoid crashing into the larger man's chest and stumbled to a wary stop as he eyed Krum. "Viktor? You okay?" Something was wrong with the Bulgarian's eyes…Why did this seem so familiar?

"'arry! Get away from 'im, he is cursed!" Fleur's shout rang out just as Viktor lunged forward and planted a fist into Harry's stomach. Harry wheezed out the air in his lungs, though years of living with Dudley and Vernon had taught him how to take a punch and he managed to avoid the worst of the blow, pulling back enough to remain on his feet. It was only sheer luck that the Bulgarian managed to miss the mirror stuck onto his upper chest. Probably a good thing though. The loss of that mirror so early in the game would be a tough blow.

Harry danced backwards getting his wand up to bear as Viktor twisted and shot a spell towards Fleur. The silver haired champion ducked under it and shot a gold colored spell of her own in reply. Viktor's shield blocked it, though he missed Harry's curse in exchange. Harry's bludgeoner managed to knock Viktor's arm aside and break the man's concentration enough for Fleur to shoot off a small chain. The Bulgarian rolled and shot off several spells as well though he couldn't hold for long against both combatants. In short order two stunners crashed into him knocking the large man onto the ground, his wand rolling uselessly off to the side.

Fleur, breathing hard, stumbled up to Harry and sagged down to the ground, one arm wrapped firmly around her left elbow and large piece of her shirt torn off with blood soaking through it as it was tied off around her leg. Harry grimaced as he knelt down to look over Gabrielle's sister. "Dammit. I forgot all about this. Stupid bloody memory charms! Let me see."

Fleur didn't resist as Harry grabbed her arm and started to run his wand down a long gash near her elbow. She just stared at Viktor as he lay on the ground near them. "'e was under ze Imperious. Gabrielle said zat zis was dangerous and a trap, and I believed 'er, but…'ow could someone do zis?"

"Welcome to my world," Harry muttered. He scowled and dropped his wand opting instead to tear off a piece of his shirt and tie it around her arm like she had already done with her leg. "Fleur, I can't heal this. I think it's cursed and I don't know the counter. I'm a brute force wizard; Rose and Gabrielle are the ones who know how to heal. You need to get out here and get that looked at. You're still losing a lot of blood."

Fleur turned back to him, her eyes narrowing. "I can still 'elp."

"You already did. You warned me about Viktor. Now take care of him, make sure they don't crucify him for getting caught up as somebody else's pawn. Guy's not very sociable, but he's not bad and he's actually pretty fun if you can get him talking. You get healed. I got the rest of this."

"What if whoever did zis tries it again?"

"Then I'll take care of it. Now I know to be on the lookout for Cedric. Go Fleur, get back to your sister. She's going to be so pissed at me if I let you die just when the two of you finally got along again," Harry said smiling.

Fleur shut her eyes and slowly nodded. "Give zem heaven."

Harry blinked at that for a second while he processed through what she was saying then chuckled and pat Fleur on her good arm. "Close enough. Tell Ella, I'm okay."

"Go." Fleur raised her wand and shot red sparks into the air as Harry turned and shot off deeper into the maze.

He ran for only another three or four minutes before hearing the distinctive shrieking of an acromantula. The shudder that ran through him at the remembered horror of those eight-legged nightmares was only slightly mitigated by the monster sounding like it was in the next passageway over. With any luck he wouldn't even have to see the thing. Of course he was Harry Potter and luck didn't work like that for him so…

Harry sped up and hit the merge point of the two corridors at a sprint. Yet again he almost collided with a competitor, except this time Cedric was obviously not under the Imperious curse. Had he been a victim like that he wouldn't have been looking nearly as terrified of the giant spider that was barreling down towards them.

Both boys sped up and started tossing spells over their shoulders at the creature, many of which just bounced off it's exoskeleton. The chittering coming from the mandibles was too much like laughter for Harry's tastes and he seriously considering calling the War Staff just to teach the bloody thing who it was dealing with. The issue with that was that if he slowed down to properly deal with the acromantula, Cedric would get the Cup.

The Cup they were rapidly approaching.

The key to his freedom.

The doorway to Voldemort.

The portkey Cup.

The portkey that he and Cedric were both reaching for…

Oh shite…

* * *

As the spinning stopped, Harry lurched to his feet and leveled his wand at Cedric as the 'older' Hufflepuff turned to face him, a frown on his face. "Once, just bloody _once_ can't anything go right at the end of the bloody school year?! JUST ONCE!"

"Was that a portkey? Is this a…mansion? What is going on?" Cedric turned to the side utterly ignoring the wand that was tracking him and looking around the large, rather ornate room they had landed in. It was decorated in marble and tapestries along with stained glass windows set high in the walls, coupled with a wide flowing staircase in the center that almost gave the impression of leading up to a throne. An impression enforced further by the high-backed chair set on the landing and framed by the light coming in the window.

Harry's eyes widened as he saw that the throne was currently occupied by a pale, rather lanky individual with beady red eyes, a slitted nose, and a smirk crossing his features. "Butterfly effect…" Harry murmured. "Uh oh…"

"Is this part of the ceremony?"

"Cedric, you stupid, arrogant arse, get behind me _right now_ ," Harry hissed. "Does this look the Triwizard Tournament you inbred idiot? Hello, Tom. I see you got your body back."

"Harry. It's a pleasure to have you in my home. You don't seem quite as surprised as I had expected. Though from what Barty has been telling me, I suppose that should not be such an unexpected occurrence. So much about you has been subverting expectations in recent months." Voldemort said inclining his head and gesturing towards a chair that had not been there a moment a before. "Please, sit. Let us discuss events. I will even allow your…friend to live for the moment."

"…Harry? What the hell is going on?" Cedric asked looking between the two other people in the room and shifting his wand between them.

"Seriously, Cedric, shut up and sit down. You have no idea how delicate this is."

"No, I'm not going to shut up without some sort of explanation about what the hell is – "

Harry shot a trio of spells at Cedric catching the other Hufflepuff off guard and knocking him to the ground, tied up and gagged. Harry just stepped over Cedric moving to his chair. "I warned you. Alright, Tom, so you I assume I'm correct in guessing you're the one who had me entered into the Tournament then?"

"Of course, Harry. I had originally intended for us to meet near the grave of my father where I would stage a grand rebirth ceremony and then summon my Death Eaters and kill you in front of them while proving how insignificant you were compared to me." Voldemort leaned forward grinning as Nagini slithered out from behind his throne and hissed at Harry. Besides Harry's chair Cedric started making incoherent noises and flopping around. Apparently, he had finally realized they were a landing down from the Dark Lord. "Plans have changed though, obviously."

"Seeing as how you're corporal and we're not dueling to the death, I figured as much." Harry felt sweat beading on his brow and tried to force it back. He couldn't appear weak here no matter how off balance he was. While this wasn't going according to the script that didn't mean it was going _badly_. If Voldemort was willing to sit and talk that was even better. It increased the odds of Harry walking away with a non-aggression pact exponentially…as long as he kept his cool. "I have to admit; this is a new one. I figured you'd be all murdery right off the bat."

Voldemort chuckled. "I know how to make use of an opportunity when I see one, Harry. Now forgive me, but I do believe we have several guests before we proceed any further."

 _Damn, damn, bloody damn._ Harry was able to stop his scowl from spreading if only barely. Several doors around the perimeter of the ground floor opened and allowed a small stream of Death Eaters to flow into the atrium. This whole thing was looking more and more like he was going to have to take his chances with the War Staff. Those weren't good odds with nearly a dozen enemies in an unfamiliar mansion, with unfamiliar wards, facing off against a clearly prepared Voldemort. At least it wasn't Rose here. Things would already have devolved into fire and explosions the way she had been handling events lately.

And wasn't that just ironic as all hell?

"I feel a bit underrepresented here, Voldemort."

"Back to titles then, Potter?" Voldemort asked leaning back and chuckling.

"Well, we have an audience now. It seemed appropriate."

Voldemort just shrugged. "Oh, don't stand on propriety for my sake, Potter. Anyone who repeats anything said here tonight will simply be killed. My followers know better than that."

"Gee, I see why people just _flock_ to work under you," Harry snarked. He felt the mirror on his chest heat up slightly and snapped his mouth shut. Right. No intentionally pissing off the tyrant.

Thankfully Voldemort just laughed. "Ah, but you see, for every one that I kill, another four take their place. That is the benefit of choosing the established side, Potter. We have eager recruits."

"And the Muggleborn have the replenishable reserves," Harry said sighing. "Look, let's get something clear right off, Voldemort: I have chosen a side, but it's not the one you think. It's my own. Do I prefer the Muggleborn? Yeah, I do. Do I prefer them enough to risk the life of my sister and I? No, not really."

Voldemort clapped his hands together and leaned forward an evil smile splitting his lips. "Yes! That, that right there is why we are speaking, Harry! That is why you are sitting in that chair instead of tied up and being bled dry for a strengthening ritual! I wish you offer you a deal." He pushed up to his feet and started to pace in front of his chair. "You and your sister have been increasingly violent over the past few years. You have shown incredible levels of power. And even more recently, people who have frustrated you have begun to…shall we say, 'disappear'." Voldemort grinned as Harry's blood chilled.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course, you don't," Voldemort said chuckling. His faceless Death Eaters all followed his lead and softly laughed as well until they abruptly cut off along with their master. "Harry, you shouldn't have slaughtered Severus. I would not have noticed had you left him out of your rampage."

Harry couldn't help the twitching of his eye or the scowl that ghosted his face and he knew that Voldemort caught them as well. Shaking his head, he clenched his fists and let out a slow breath trying to smooth the furious sneer off of his face. "The bastard shouldn't have tried to take my sister from me and turn her into his own personal potioned-up _sex slave_." He ended up hissing the last part in parseltongue though the Dark Lord's grin just grew wider.

Voldemort nodded emphatically from his position by his throne, gesturing widely. "Such rage! Such passion! Channel that anger, Potter. Join me and I can show you power you could only dream of! I can give you the strength to always protect your sister. Pledge yourself to me and you will never have to worry about anyone hurting her again." Voldemort leant down staring into Harry's eyes though, surprisingly enough, he didn't push any sort of legilimency attack.

Harry took a deep breath and held it unclenching his fists as Cedric renewed his kicking beside him. "While it's tempting, I'm honestly more trying to stay as far away from this war as I possibly can, Voldemort. Rose and I, we just want to be left alone. By you, by Dumbledore, by the Ministry. That's all we want. We don't want to fight anyone and we don't want to hurt anyone as long as they stay the hell away from us. I can protect her already. Thank you for the offer, but I'm going to have to pass."

There was a renewed round of chuckling amongst the rank and file Death Eaters and Harry felt the goosebumps raise on his arms along with the hairs on the back of his neck. If it came to a running fight, he'd free Cedric and leave the other man to fight on his own as a distraction. "Ah, Harry. While I'd like to believe that, you must understand that I simply can't take the chance that you would fall under Dumbledore's lure. You understand of course." The Death Eaters moved forward, closing ranks and surrounding Harry. He fingered the pouch on his belt with his explosive potions though didn't draw them yet.

"Me joining the man who consigned us to torture for over a decade is pretty far-fetched, Voldemort," Harry said softly. Voldemort held up a hand and the Death Eaters stopped where they were though several shuffled in place and grumbling was heard in the ranks.

"And yet, _I_ killed your parents."

"I never knew my parents. I know in my head they loved me," Harry said with a soft sigh not even bothering to try and lie, "but that is not the same as feeling it in my heart. You killed people who contributed to my birth, Voldemort. I care about that, but I don't care enough to place that over the safety of me and mine. I am a…practical creature. I kill those who need killing and I avoid those who need avoiding. You and Dumbledore both fall into the latter category."

Voldemort leaned back and steepled his fingers. "You sound as if you don't care about Britain at all, Harry."

Harry couldn't help himself: he let out a short bark of bitter laughter. "Try _despise_ the place! This country has brought me nothing but pain. You lived through the war, barely, only coming out the other side as a shadow of your old self. My sister and I are the same way. We are not the people we would have been and we have Magical Britain and its people to blame, along with a few particularly uncaring Muggles. This country can burn to ground for all I care, Tom! You and Dumbledore can fight over it until it's nothing but ashes. Rose and I will come back and happily piss on the embers."

"Such hatred…" Voldemort murmured. He reached a hand down and lightly stroked it over Nagini's head the snake staring at Harry in turn. "I will still need assurances that you are not intending to get involved in our conflict, Harry. A Blood Oath would suffice I think."

"No. _Hell_ no. Do you think I'm stupid? My godfather is Sirius Black, I've been spending summers with Dora Tonks, and her mother is Andromeda Tonks. I know better than to sign a fucking Blood Oath, Tom."

"Then we are, again, at an impasse it seems," Voldemort said, his voice coming out as more of a hiss than anything else.

Harry cast about for something, anything that could stop the coming fight. He needed a way out of this. He was so close to walking away without having to worry about Voldemort coming after them! His gaze settled on Cedric and his eyes narrowed to slits. Cedric who had constantly belittled him for months and turned the entire House against them at the beginning of the year. Cedric who had never really _actually_ apologized for his actions. Cedric who was the son of one the ringleaders at his trial – a man who was high up in the Ministry of Magic. "What if I was to give you a gesture of goodwill? A show of how much I truly mean what I'm saying?"

Voldemort leaned forward and cocked his head to the side. "I'm listening."

"Fudge is…let's say, not long for this Earth. For reasons that I have no intention of explaining, there is soon to be a power vacuum in the Ministry of Magic. When he shuffles off, there are going to be two primary candidates for the next Minister: Amelia Bones and Amos Diggory. You could do an awful lot, holding the son of Amos in your hands."

All movement in the room seemed to stop and had a pin dropped it would have rang like a cannon. It was broken by Cedric starting to immediately bounce around on the ground as he tried in vain to get away from his position next to Harry's chair while Voldemort started to laugh above them all. "My, my, my, I must say, I have _severely_ underestimated you, Harry Potter. What are your terms?"

"I'm leaving Hogwarts tonight and Britain in several days. I need a distraction though, so that Dumbledore doesn't pursue me. Seeing as how you've been back for awhile, I'm guessing you're strong enough to make an appearance?"

"I was intending to send a message tonight one way or the other. Either a corpse or a personal appearance depending on how the evening progressed. So to answer your question, Harry, yes, though I have no intention of striking at Dumbledore directly just yet of course. I do not trust you not to have set a trap for me after all. Instead, I will be retrieving more of my followers. Will that be sufficient to distract the old man and get you out of my country?"

"As long as you show your face and make sure to leave just enough people alive to confirm that you're really you, sure. That's not really a term though, just more of a note that makes life easier for the both of us," Harry said nodding and casting a silent summoning charm to pull the rolling Cedric back to his heel.

"Obviously."

"My actual terms are this, leave the following people alone unless they attack you first: Rose, all of the Delacours, me, all of the Tonkses, Sirius Black, all of the Grangers, all of the Greengrasses, all of the Davises, all of the Perkses, Susan Bones, Neville Longbottom, all of the Finch-Fletchleys."

"That is quite an extensive list, Harry," Voldemort said as he smiled and stroked Nagini again. "All for one little bargaining chip."

"One bargaining chip over the future Minister of Magic."

"Potential Minister of Magic. And I could just take the boy myself."

"Not before I kill him."

"We would kill you."

"I'm pretty hard to kill."

Voldemort laughed again, a deep rumbling chuckle that reverberated around the entire room. This time, the Death Eaters didn't join in with him. "Yes, yes you are indeed. Still, I need more if I am to agree to leave such prominent members as Neville Longbottom and Susan Bones aside. Greengrass in particular is a problem as they were quite…vexing when they did not pledge their support to my cause in the previous conflict despite numerous overtures. I find it is best not to let such insults slide and I have assured several of my returned Death Eaters that I would make an example of them."

Harry scowled and gestured wide, encompassing most of the masked men. "Your Death Eaters are cowards and pragmatists who abandoned you once it was convenient. I'm offering you a way to get Dumbledore's prime figurehead off the board without lifting a single wand. None of my people have even fought you or opposed you directly and none of them are staying in the country. Every one of them is coming with me when we leave. That's why I'm not asking for Amelia Bones or Augusta Longbottom. They're fools and they're staying here to continue to battle it out in a pointless Civil War that never ends and just keeps repeating itself again and again!"

"Nevertheless, Harry, I need more. You are giving up nothing, while I give up everything. What else can you give me? What other sacrifice can you make? What other assurance can you provide?"

Harry's scowl could have impressed Snape. He growled and swiped the fringe of hair covering his scar up revealing the lightning bolt. "Immortality – at least for another 8 or 9 decades."

Voldemort frowned. "You'll have to explain that, Harry."

"You came to kill me 13 years ago after you'd already done the ritual. While you didn't succeed in killing me, you did kill two others and you pseudo-killed yourself. It was enough to break off the portion of soul you'd prepared, except the remainder of the ritual never completed. I'm a pseudo-Horcrux for you, Voldemort. I don't have any of the magical protection that a real Horcrux gets, but I also don't have to worry about possession or having my soul drained by it. With good Occlumency barriers neither of us can see into the other's head though we can be aware of each other. You and I are linked.

"You don't have many Horcruxes left, Tom. I destroyed the Diary when Lucius tried, and failed, to use it to eliminate a minor annoyance two years ago. Regulus destroyed the Locket when he turned against you, after you used his elf to test the defenses. Tonks destroyed the Ring before you resurrected yourself when we found the Gaunt shack. Rose and I stumbled across the Diadem in the Room of Hidden Things at the beginning of the year and we destroyed that one too. The goblins are aware of the Cup and it's in the process of being removed and destroyed from Bellatrix's vault. All you have left is me and Nagini. I know how to get rid of the one in my head without killing myself. Do you really want to rest your immortality on the life of a single snake, Voldemort?"

Several of the Death Eaters had looked back and forth between Harry and Voldemort as he spoke their confusion evident even through the masks on their faces. Three of them though had begun slowly backing up from the group almost as if they were getting ready to run for the exit. This was a calculated risk. Voldemort would either accept that killing Harry was a gamble worth taking or accept the compromise and walk away with a win for both sides. Though that would likely result in quite a few of the less well-trusted Death Eaters being sacrificed to protect his secret. Harry certainly wouldn't be shedding any tears for these men that's for sure.

Rather than shifting into murderous rage and lashing out at everything around him, Voldemort instead slowly got to his feet and walked down the staircase. He stopped in front of Harry, reaching out to hover a finger of the scar. Ever so carefully, he made contact, both of the men grunting in pain as the protection inherent in Harry's skin from his mother flared to life and started to burn Voldemort, doing nearly as much damage to Harry himself thanks to the link between them.

With a hiss, Voldemort pulled back. "You speak the truth. No wonder you are so ruthless. You have grown up with my own voice whispering in your head telling you the best course forward to safeguard your goals."

Harry didn't bother correcting him. The soul shard didn't speak to him and never would. That portion of Voldemort's ritual was never completed. He just wanted it out of his head so that he wasn't connected to the bastard anymore. It didn't look like that was an option anymore though. "Do we have a deal?"

"Now that I am aware this connection exists, I will know if you try to destroy it," Voldemort said softly. "I will seek you out wherever you have made your home and I will destroy all you care for. I will make you beg for death as I torture and murder everyone you have ever loved in front of your eyes. Only then will I finally allow you to die."

"And if I leave it alone, my friends, my family and I are all free to do as we like with no interference from you or your followers."

"Unless they attack us first, none shall touch you or yours."

"Then we have an accord," Harry said nodding.

"We have an accord."

"Excellent. If you'll direct me to the door, I need to sneak back into Hogwarts and get my sister and my friends out of the country. When are you hitting Azkaban?"

Voldemort stepped back and jerked his head towards a large ornate set of doors behind several of the Death Eater escorts. "The front entrance is through that corridor. We will strike in 15 minutes. I expect word to reach Dumbledore and Hogwarts in 20. Leave and never come back to these shores."

Harry nodded. "Give me two days to get out of the country. I just have to finish things up with Fudge and my Muggle relatives first. Then you'll never see us again."

"For your sake, Harry Potter, I would certainly hope not."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate title for this chapter: The One Where Harry Proves He's Just As Vindictive As Rose
> 
> Fanfic Rec: 'Harry Potter and the Last Chance' by LeQuin. This is a Harry/Hermione and another Reptilia challenge one. It's set with Harry being sent to 4th Year and the twosome becoming good friends with Luna. Also features an Asshole!Ron. I honestly don't remember much more though my notes remind myself that it was very good plus it's complete!
> 
> Second rec: 'Under Guard' by VonPelt. This is a medium length oneshot featuring Tonks/Hermione. It's set at the beginning of summer fifth year just after Tonks joins the Order and meets Hermione. Neither is impressed with things there though and they bond with each other after which Tonks takes Hermione on a date to loosen up. It's very cute and as with most things by VonPelt, very well-written and stays in character for the two front and center characters. All in all, a very fun fic with an unusual pairing.


	15. Loose Ends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Again, thanks to my beta, Grey Raven 09. We are officially in the last bit folks! One chapter and an epilogue left. Anyway, enjoy the last bit of personal confrontations courtesy of the Potter twins!

**Chapter 15: Loose Ends**

Rose folded up her small makeup case's mirror as the quiet crack of Harry's Apparition sounded on the other end of the connection. Her lips set in a thin line, she nodded to Gabrielle. "Thank god Dora taught him how to Apparate without splinching himself across half the country. Operation Bug Out is a go. You get your sister, Hermione, and – if he'll come – Neville; I'll grab Daphne and Tracey. Dora will get to Susan and the stragglers."

"We are moving before 'arry returns?" Gabrielle asked under her breath. Most of the people surrounding them were still shouting about the disappearance of the two Champions and completely ignoring the two teenage girls sitting huddled around each other – supposedly out of their minds with worry.

"Gotta get to Gringotts before Voldemort. We didn't have time to set the little bastards onto that Horcrux remember? Can't make a liar out of Harry and leave Riddle with an out, a way to come after us while still staying safe in his immortality."

Gabrielle grimaced. "Good point. I knew we shouldn't have spent so long playing with the Toad, even if it felt so good to finally get to do so. Plus, if all 'ell is about to break loose, our friends should be safely on their way."

"Exactly. So, go; we meet up either in the Room or Hogs Head in 15 minutes. Clock's ticking, Ella." Rose softened the command by leaning in and giving her Veela girlfriend a quick kiss, smiling as she moved back. "Hard part's over and Harry's safe. Now we just need to extract everyone."

"Do not count your chickens before zey cluck."

"Hatch, luv, hatch."

"What?"

"Nevermind," Rose said, rolling her eyes. "Just go." Taking her own advice, Rose stood and threaded her way through the crowd. As she passed behind Dora, Rose murmured, "Bug Out initiated. Harry's on his way. Get Susan and the others. Ignore the Auror summons or your immunity is off." Dora nodded, a patch of hair on the back of her head briefly shifting to green in acknowledgement and Rose quickly shuffled off.

Casting her gaze around the stands and the increasingly agitated crowd she searched for her target, her frown growing heavier every second. These people really were idiots. The Hufflepuff Champions had been gone for about a half hour and most people were still in the same general area they had been when the Task had started. The sensible person would suspect foul play and be moving the heck out of the area – at least before the inevitable blowup that was, surely, coming on the heels of whatever sabotage had occurred. Even just going by recent history, the end of the last three school years had all had major schoolwide emergencies that generally resulted in extreme property damage or danger to everyone in the vicinity. Why buck tradition _now_?

Shaking her head Rose took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Yes, Magical Britain was composed of complacent jerks, but they also weren't used to constant threats against them every time they turned around like her family was.

A smirk ghosted across her features and she had to fight to hold down a cackle. Well, they were going to have to get used to it; or start fighting back themselves. No more figurehead punching bags for this two-faced country after tonight.

Finally spotting her people, Rose moved towards the end of the stands and sat down on the row just behind Daphne and Tracey leaning forward so that her lips were near both of the Slytherins' ears. "Hope you brought your things, girls. Time to leave." Tracey jerked at the sound of her voice though Daphne didn't so much as flinch.

"Is Harry alright then?"

"It's been handled, yes. We'll brief you more after we're all safely away, but the shite is about to hit the – nevermind you wouldn't understand the reference. We just need to leave right now before everything gets locked down tighter than a unicorn's arsehole."

"Hey, I get the reference," Tracey replied softly as she grabbed up her bag. "What the hell is your brother doing that we're going to be knee-deep in chaos?"

Daphne sighed and grabbed her own bag standing up and pulling Tracey up as well. "When the Potter twins are involved, there is _always_ chaos. It's part of the reason I signed up. There is never going to be a dull day, and it's going to be _fun_ managing the insanity for them!"

Rose blinked as she threaded in behind the two. "Yeah you fit right in to our merry little brand of insanity," she muttered. "I was serious about the stuff by the way. We have very little time."

"My house elf can grab anything left in the dormitory once we're in the castle and out of sight. On that note, are we going to castle or to Hogsmeade? I assume you have an extraction plan?" Daphne asked though she kept her eyes forward. Rose's opinion of the Slytherin rose even higher. She really was pretty good at this considering she actually _was_ a fourteen-year-old.

"Castle. Hogsmeade is a bit too far of a walk to chance being unseen with a larger group and we have a different way of getting outside the wards."

Slipping away from the milling spectators was incredibly easy considering the growing uneasy in the crowd. The trio was trotting across the front lawn and slipping into the Great Hall almost before Rose could process that they were really finally doing this. She looked around as the doors swung shut behind her and, as Gabrielle stepped out away from the wall with Hermione right behind her, Rose let out a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding.

Rose counted heads and cocked her head to the side. "Fleur?"

"Less suspicious if she stays there with Viktor Krum for now," Gabrielle said scowling slightly. "I disagreed zough we didn't have time to argue and she knew that. She'll be meeting us in Australia in a few days along with ze rest of my family."

A moment later the doors were pushed partially open again letting Dora, Susan, Hannah, Justin, and Sally-Anne slip through before shutting again behind the newcomers. Dora frowned looking back to Gabrielle. "Neville?"

Gabrielle shook her head. "'e says 'e is sorry, but 'e can't leave 'is grandmother alone against the coming darkness. He will join us if things get too bad and if 'e can convince 'er to leave. I do not think 'e will be able to."

"Yeah," Dora said softly hanging her head. "Augusta is a stubborn broad. Neville's a good kid. I hope he survives this war. Come on kids, let's get upstairs and get the heck out of here before things go pear-shaped."

"What does zat even mean? Where does zat come from? What is wrong with your language and your metaphors? I've been speaking this stupid language for how many years now and I still don't understand a quarter of it!" Gabrielle complained as she fell into line next to Rose at the rear of the group of students following Dora to the Room of Requirement.

Hermione glanced back at the two time-travelers cocking an eyebrow. "Are you even trying to pretend anymore?"

Rose shrugged. "Most of the people in this group already know or suspect us; or at least you really all should by now. I mean, really, we just bargained with Wizard Hitler to be able to leave the country safe and sound with our friends. If you didn't think we were more than we appeared, then you're idiots and you wouldn't be on this little jaunt with us."

Hermione seemed to think about that for a moment then shrugged and nodded. "True, I suppose. There are portraits though…"

"Nah, they can't repeat student secrets, Hermione. It's a safeguard in the castle charms to 'make the students feel safer'." Rose's grin grew and she waggled her eyebrows at the brunette. "Didn't you get to that part in _Hogwarts, A History_?"

"Alright, cut the banter people," Dora said stepping off the staircase and into the seventh-floor corridor. "I'll set the Room's configuration. Sirius has cleared the way on the other end, but we still need to get into the tunnel first. You girls stay here."

"Sirius who?" Sally-Anne asked looking between the other teenagers. Justin shrugged though Tracey grimaced. "Tracey, who are they talking about?"

Tracey's grimace grew and she held her hands up in front of her to ward the other girl off. "I have my suspicions. I think he's on our side, but I don't have the story of _how_ so I'm not saying squat. Sorry."

"We'll tell you later, Sally-Anne. It's not really that important right now," Rose said patting her friend on the shoulder. The girl huffed and fell silent.

"I still don't see why we couldn't just take one of the already established secret tunnels out," Gabrielle sighed. "It would 'ave been easier."

"Less secure though," Rose replied. She moved over to Susan and Hannah crossing her arms as she looked over the new arrival into their group. "So…are you seeing your girlfriend off or are you coming with us?"

"I didn't want to leave Sue," Hannah replied, voice barely loud enough to be heard. Her shoulders were slumped and her head hung low. "I…I know I don't know what's going on exactly, but I'm not stupid. I know you and Harry have been different since the Lake thing and I know that Gabrielle is involved somehow. I'm not asking to be told anything. I just…You-Know-Who is back isn't he? He took Cedric and Harry and Harry made some sort of deal? You guys have suspected that this was coming and so you planned for it?"

"Pretty close, yeah," Rose said nodding.

"If you're leaving, can I come too? I want to stay with Sue and I…I'm scared. I don't know if I can stay here if _he's_ coming back."

Rose looked to Susan. "We didn't ask for protection for her family."

"They're Purebloods," Susan said squeezing her fellow Hufflepuff's hand. "If you just let me take Hannah out of the castle with us and let us send a message to her parents, they'll be fine. The Death Eaters won't target them and they can meet up with us through regular travel in a few days. Please?"

Rose sighed though she nodded. "Honestly, with how you two are each night, I probably should've suspected this."

"Says the girl who almost never sleeps in her bed," Susan needled back with a small nervous chuckle.

"Touché," Rose laughed.

"Alright people, we are set! Last chance to stay; if you're going, we are leaving now!" Dora shouted from further up the corridor.

Rose turned and met everyone's eyes getting a nod from them all. She gestured down towards her guardian, though before anyone could take a step another voice sounded through the hall from the staircase. "Miss Potter, why am I not surprised to find you leading this little group?"

Rose scowled and turned towards the stairs, stepping in between her friends and going shoulder to shoulder with Gabrielle, her wand dropping into her hand as feathers spread along her girlfriend's arm and fire grew into a ball above Gabrielle's fingers. "Hello, Dumbledore. Come to see us off then?"

"I'm going to have to ask you to return to the grounds, please. All of you."

"Not gonna happen old man," Rose snarled. "We warned you this was coming. Harry explicitly told you we wouldn't be staying to fight your war for you."

"It is your war as well, Rose," Dumbledore said. His voice was soft and brittle almost as if he was afraid he was going to break someone's heart by saying those words. "Your parents died to stop Voldemort. You would make their sacrifice be in vain by…running away?"

Dora stepped up to Rose's other side, but she let Rose reply to Dumbledore instead of speaking herself. "My mother and father did not die to stop Voldemort. They died to save Harry and save me. They died so that the two of us could _live_. We haven't _lived_ for a very long time Dumbledore. I tried to explain that to you several weeks ago, but you didn't want to hear it. Britain holds nothing but pain for us. If I had my way, I would burn it all to the ground and salt the ashes. Harry is nicer than I am though. He's content to let you bastards fight your own war and live or die however it ends up turning out. If you want to fight Voldemort, do it on your own. I suggest taking the kid gloves off though if you want to have a chance of winning."

"Where will you go?"

"Home!" Rose spat. She felt her wand heat up. It wanted to curse this man just as much as she did and it practically sang with the need to spit fire and flame. Yet she held back. They needed Dumbledore alive, if only to keep Voldemort busy. Besides…she had no delusions that she would be remotely able to kill Dumbledore, even in a three on one battle. "Somewhere neither of you fuckers will ever find us!"

"Rose, please, see reason. All of the people that could die without your assistance, all of the people that need the inspiration, the motivation, to fight and struggle and push back the darkness. If they see that the only ones to have survived against Voldemort have disappeared – "

"They betrayed us!" Rose shouted as her wand spit sparks. "Every year they betrayed us and called us liars, thieves, unstable, _ungrateful_! Like we had _ANYTHING_ _TO BE GRATEFUL FOR BESIDES EACH OTHER_! They tried to split us up! They _did_ split us up! They called him a murderer and you just stood to the side and watched! They said they _killed_ my brother and you did _nothing_! You still expected me to play my part in your grand chess game when those monsters killed a part of me and you stood aside and hung your head!" The liquid fire that was dropping out of her wand could rival the hottest flames Gabrielle could ignite. None present even seemed to notice how it was scorching the stones black next to her as Rose continued to scream at Dumbledore, her voice going hoarse. Everyone's eyes were locked onto the redhead with mouths slightly open, muscles rigid – everyone except Dora and Gabrielle who never took their gaze or their wands from Dumbledore. "You are a bloody fucking coward, Albus Dumbledore, and you can't do what needs to be done. You condemned me to hell twice over and now you're trying to do it all over again. If I could kill you I would, but my education is piecemeal and you have decades on me. That doesn't mean you get to stand there and preach to me about some made-up obligation to those sorry excuses for inbred bastards that turn on us every chance they get! I'd murder them all myself if I thought I could after what they did to Harry! I would – "

She cut off her rant as a silver lynx patronus flew up the staircase and stopped in front of Dumbledore opening its mouth and stating, "Albus, You-Know-Who is attacking Azkaban. All Aurors are being called in for support but it is not enough. We need you immediately or the prison will fall." Its message delivered, the patronus faded.

Dumbledore stood ramrod straight, his eyes wide and his mouth open. He stared at Rose, working his jaw for a moment before finally whispering, "What did you do?"

"We made a deal. Our friends and their families will be safe as long as we leave. Which we are doing. Right now." A sadistic grin grew that send chills down Dumbledore's spine. "You better get going, Albus, that sounded urgent."

"You would betray us? After everything that your parents have done?" If a light breeze had blown through the castle at that moment Dumbledore would probably have fallen over.

Rose's laughter held no mirth whatsoever. "You left us with people that took great care to stamp out all empathy we'd have had for pretty much anyone besides each other. Like we have been saying over and over, we don't _care_ which side wins. Just. Leave. Us. _Alone_. FOREVER, DUMBLEDORE! The next time you come after me, I'm going to find a way to bring you to the edge of death, and leave you there begging for mercy. That's the state you and the Ministry left me in for years after all, and I've only just barely started to claw my way back out. I suggest you stay away." Rose turned and strode through the line of her friends as all of the eyes in the corridor stared at her. She grabbed the door to the Room of Requirement, yanked it open and waved them in. Hermione was the first to shake off her shock, squaring her shoulders and standing straight, the bushy haired brunette stepped through the portal. Daphne nodded politely to Dumbledore and swiftly followed with Tracey at her heels. Susan and Hannah hurried through after them, neither looking back, and they were followed right behind by the rest of the group.

As Gabrielle and Dora stepped into the Room with Rose following them, the last view they all had of Dumbledore was the old man leaning against the wall and holding a hand to his heart, tears streaming down his face.

* * *

As the refugee students filed through the Hogs Head Floo to their respective destinations, Rose and Gabrielle stood off to the side, Dora and Sirius standing guard near the door to the restaurant. Gabrielle had Rose enfolded in a comforting embrace with the redhead tucked up against her chest and her silvery-blonde hair separating Rose from the rest of the world as the girl cried.

"Shh, it's okay, _mon cœur_. We will never see him again," Gabrielle murmured, running her hand in circles along Rose's back.

"I wish we could finish the job," Rose whispered through hiccups molding herself even tighter to the Veela.

Gabrielle felt her feathers rise to the surface though she gripped that rage and twisted the emotions fueling it to their counterpart in her nature. Rage wasn't what Rose needed right now; she didn't need lust either but Gabrielle had always found her lust easier to handle than her rage. Gabrielle needed to be the strong one again, at least for the moment. She needed control and she needed to be a rock. She'd done this perfectly fine for years. She could keep a reign on things for a few minutes and beat her nature down enough to make sure Rose got the support she required. "Dumbledore is just a man. 'e is a stupid man, and 'e is a powerful man who zinks 'e is right more often than not. But he is not an evil man. He is not a Tom Riddle, he is not a Severus Snape, he is a not a Dolores Umbridge. We can't be like zem, Rose. If he gave us a reason we could go after him, but we can't just go after him because we hate him. Zat makes us just like zem."

"I don't know if I care anymore, Ella, I still want to do it anyway," Rose's reply was so soft that Gabrielle could barely hear her. "That scares me. I thought I was getting better? I thought…I don't want to be a monster Ella."

Gabrielle shut her eyes and felt tears well up. She had no idea what to say to Rose to help her through this. Because deep inside, in the core of her being, she felt the exact same way and if she knew that she'd be able to walk away and come back to the twins afterwards, she'd probably be going back up to the castle to roast the old man alive for the pain he had caused to her loves – consequences be damned.

What did that say about them?

She had to say something to soothe her lover though otherwise Rose would start to slip away from them again. The last thing Rose needed was to slip back into her manic-depressive patterns. "Wanting doesn't make you evil, _mon cœur_ , doing does." It wasn't exactly the right words, but they seemed to help somewhat for Rose tightened her hold around Gabrielle's waist and nodded into the Veela's bosom.

She glanced up as the bar's door opened and Harry slipped in. He looked around the room, sent a wave of acknowledgement to the few remaining students, then immediately padded across to Gabrielle and Rose, his features carefully blank. Without a word, he pulled the both of them into a heavy, warm hug. "Tell me later," he said. "Don't explain now. I can guess, but ultimately it doesn't matter. Albus is Tom's problem now and we are free. We are not monsters. We _could_ be, if we aren't careful, if we don't let Dora and Sirius help us. But right now, right here…we are not monsters, girls."

Rose stiffened slightly, finally after what felt like an eternity, she pulled her head from Gabrielle's chest and turned to look at Harry, angry tear tracks down her face. "Would you still love me even if I was?"

"Always," he replied, reaching up to wipe one of her eyes. "I'm not that easy to get rid of Rosy."

"Zis is why I Bonded to you, 'arry," Gabrielle replied cupping his cheek and moving in to ghost her lips against his. "I knew, even as a little girl, that you were extraordinary. Every day you prove that again and again."

Harry smiled and kissed her again then leaned down and kissed Rose. A smile finally crossed her face as they all pulled apart. "Yeah, well don't go singing all of my praises. I had to sacrifice Cedric to get out of there. Do me a favor and don't tell Susan and Hannah that yeah? Why is Hannah here anyway? I didn't ask for her family's safety."

"Didn't want to leave Susan and Voldemort scares her pretty bad," Rose said sighing. "Probably should've warned you they were together. Whenever I'm late getting to your bed it's because they're going at it. They forget the silencing charms a lot. I probably should've expected them to come as a pair, sorry."

"Well she is a Pureblood and I don't think they ever actually declared for a side last time so…they'll probably be fine for the first few weeks, they'll have enough time to get out of the country before the war ramps up for real. Come on, let's go say goodbye to the last few before we split off. I don't know if you heard, but I bought us a few days so we have time to take care of Fudge, the Dursleys, and sic the goblins on the Cup. Probably should do that first, just in case."

"That's the plan," Gabrielle said nodding. "'arry, just in case I don't say it enough – I love you." She grabbed his shirt and pulled him to her for a final deep kiss, her mouth covering her Mate's and her tongue dueling with his for all too brief a time. Her feathers were starting to rise again for an altogether different reason as a quiet cough sounded from the other end of the room. Mewling in protest Gabrielle pulled back and directed a glare towards Sirius.

"Look, hate to break this up, but we have to get going. Aberforth is a strong wizard and my spell is going to wear off soon. We need to leave."

Beside her Rose squared her shoulders and nodded. "Yeah, yeah you're right, Padfoot. Let's go kill one more Horcrux shall we gentlemen?"

* * *

The foursome – plus dog – walked through the doors of Gringotts completely unheeding the sheer panic that most of the surrounding witches and wizards were consumed with. That witch was screaming at the teller that she needed her money _now_ , this wizard was yelling about how he needed to deposit every valuable he owned into his vault _immediately_ , that house elf was near hysterical because he couldn't find his master's key, this hag was rushing about so quickly she tripped over that centaur – Harry pulled up short and turned back to stare at that scene with an open jaw. He hadn't realized that any centaurs even had money, let alone used Gringotts. Shaking his head, he followed after his family to the nearest teller.

"Sir," Dora said nodding to the goblin though her voice remained hard. "We are here to discuss a matter relating to incurred debt, family obligations due to unpaid reparations, and uncollected fees that are due to Gringotts. We are willing to provide a portion of our due reparations as a fee to the Goblin Nation if you are willing to escort us to and from the offending family's vault to acquire the necessary funds for the reimbursements. We can of course discuss why said families owe Gringotts uncollected fees during this transit as well, if you wish."

The teller had gone rigid during Dora's speech and his lips had pulled back from his teeth in an ever-larger snarl until he was nearly frothing at the mouth by the end. There were blood spatters on the stone beneath his hands as his fists closed and his nails pierced the skin. "Who are you to dictate terms and attempts at theft directly to a _goblin inside of Gringotts_?!"

"I am the heir of the House Black, Teller Snaptooth," Dora said presenting him with her own teeth-baring grin. "I am accompanied by the Lord Black, the Lord and Lady Potter, and the Mistress Delacour. You are far too junior a goblin to accuse us of theft, worm. As I have just stated, we are here to collect our due reparations from a member of our own House who has wronged us and who is currently escaping Azkaban with Voldemort as we speak. If you want to collect any of the fees that are due to Gringotts that she has illegally kept from your attention along with him, I suggest you either assist us or get someone above your station who actually has authority here and can speak for the Nation."

The goblin leaned over the counter until his crooked nose was just shy of rubbing against Dora's. "You tread dangerous ground, witch. I could have all of you thrown to the pits and never see the light of day again."

"And then you would be right there beside us for costing Gringotts a fortune in gold four times over. Once when the fees remain uncollected. Twice when we don't provide you your share of our reparations. And three and four when both the Black and Potter vaults are forever sealed to you from this day forward. Now…GET ME SOMEONE IN CHARGE!" Dora shouted the last part loud enough that the entire lobby fell silent and turned to glance at her before suddenly deciding whatever was going on probably wasn't their problem and twisted back around to their own business.

Scowling even deeper, the goblin hopped down from his chair and disappeared. Dora betrayed no hint of emotion as they waited though in less than a minute another goblin in a sharply dressed suit came around the chair and opened the counter waving them to follow him as he walked into the back corridors and into an office.

As the door sealed behind them, the goblin sat down and stared at the group, fingers interlaced. "I am Rotfang. Which Death Eater are you attempting to drain funds from? Since you are claiming they are family and you state you are Black and Potter, I assume it is to be Narcissa Malfoy or Bellatrix Lestrange. Though with the way that wizards and witches have tangled your family trees you could conceivably claim lineage with half of the country and it would be technically true."

"Bellatrix Lestrange née Black," Dora said nodding to Rotfang. She gestured to Sirius and continued, "May my Lord resume his natural form?"

"He may."

At the goblin's negligent gesture, Padfoot's dog form flowed into Sirius' features as the ex-prisoner raised a hand in greeting. "Rotfang, as my cousin stated, we're here on business. Bellatrix has personally harmed all of us and seeing as how she is escaping Azkaban, well I doubt the Ministry of Magic is going to be granting us any of her money or possessions anytime soon. We were initially content to wait until the bitch died in there. That's not really an option anymore."

"Why the change of heart?"

"We're leaving the country and are on a timetable," Harry replied stepping forward. "I've made a deal to allow for safe passage of me and mine. I intend to collect what is owed to me first however. That includes getting back traveling funds from the woman who tortured a friend's parents and hurt my own parents extensively enough to require a four-month St. Mungo visit."

Rotfang scowled though made no other move as he spoke slowly and deliberately. "Normally Gringotts does not allow for such direct recuperation. It goes against our agreements and if word got out that it was allowed once…"

"We know," Dora said nodding. "But you also know that we would not be proclaiming this to anyone else, largely for that reason. We don't want to be looking over our shoulders for goblin assassins. You know Harry and Rose's reputations. They just want to be left alone. This is another facet of that goal."

"That is why you have not already been tossed out," Rotfang said tapping his claws against each other as he gazed at each twin. "The two of them have always been quite clear with their need for retribution against attackers and vocal about their desire for peace and quiet. It is points in your favor. However…we must first discuss just what Lestrange and Riddle owe Gringotts uncollected fees for, before any matter of personal reparations can be addressed."

"Zey have hidden a Horcrux in her vault and have not disclosed that information to you," Gabrielle said with the ghost of a smile and no build up or preamble whatsoever.

The effect on Rotfang was immediate. He snarled and slammed one clawed fist onto the desktop. "What?! A soul anchor was kept in a Level 5 vault?! Those-those-I'll flay them alive myself! Soul anchors are not permitted to be kept in anything below a Level 7 vault! The fee is 3 times greater for the protections and yearly upkeep! Why those cheap – " he cut off with a gnash of his teeth and scrawled a quick note before balling it up and launching it into a nearby vent in the wall. "Come. We will see if Lestrange has enough to cover her back-fees. If she does you may take your reparations, we will keep 40% as a convenience fee."

"The anchor?" Rose asked as Rotfang moved towards the door.

"Will be destroyed of course. No one tries to cheat Gringotts!"

* * *

The muted crack as several people Apparated into the street near Number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging quickly dissipated into the surrounding background noise of the community. Gabrielle glanced around the side street the small group had appeared on and nodded in satisfaction. "This works. I for one am quite glad zat ze goblins were willing to let us keep some of the jewels in exchange for the collateral."

"I do wish we could see my insane aunt's expression when she finds almost her entire vault emptied out though," Dora commented chuckling. "It would certainly be a thing of beauty."

"Nothing compared to the shock she'd have when they tell her that it was confiscated because she wasn't paying to secure the Horcrux _even more strongly_!" Sirius exclaimed holding his sides as he doubled over in laughter.

Only Rose and Harry were immune to the generally upbeat mood of their fellows. In direct contrast to the others, the twins were each clutching the other's hand hard enough that their palms were white. Harry's mouth was set in a thin enough line that it was almost like his lips had disappeared and Rose's expression had curled into a snarl that seemed more at place on a wild dog than a human. Both their eyes were narrowed to slits and they were turned to focus entirely on the house across the street from their hiding spot.

"Dora, whatever we say, whatever we do, do not let us have our wands back," Harry murmured holding out the twins' wands towards the metamorphmagus, careful to keep the tips pointing towards the ground in order to prevent any inadvertent accidents.

The laughter from the group died down and Dora took the proffered wands, resting her other hand on Harry's arm. "Sure. You guys don't have to be here for this you know. Gabrielle, Sirius, and I can handle it."

"We need closure. We can handle this," Harry replied squeezing Rose's hand. She gave a curt nod as well though her snarl didn't let up. With a small scowl of his own, Harry held his hand to the side and summoned the War Staff, holding that out to Dora as well. "Keep this too. I can technically call it back since it's not warded, but if you're holding it at least it'll give you warning and hopefully a chance to talk me down before I splatter them across the walls."

" 'arry…"

"No, Ella, not for this. We do this alone, I know you want to help, but the Dursleys are our demons and ours alone. You shouldn't have to deal with this and we don't want you to. You three are just here for moral support and to hold us back if we lose our control. We need to put this behind us. We need to do this alone. Right, Rose?"

Rose growled and blood dripped from her clenched fist. "I killed them once already. I burned this place to the bloody ground and Dora helped me salt the ashes. I have my closure. I want to do it again, but if we can move forward without killing them, fine, I'll try to do it your way. Whatever closure you need, I'll work for. But no promises. If Vernon goes off or if Petunia starts ranting, I'm killing them again, Harry and the only way you're stopping me is by stunning me. I don't care about the jewels the goblins promised us."

"They'll suffer more if you don't kill them, Rose," Harry said softly and reached his other hand up to stroke the back of her neck.

"That's the only reason why I let you people talk me into this. Let's get this over with."

As the two started forward across the street Sirius grimaced and looked to Dora. "We need a _really_ good therapist for them."

"Yeah…I've had Mum make a few calls. Got a few Squibs in line who might work. Whoever they click with and feel comfortable with first wins. Got that Gabrielle? You're included in that too. You're just as much in need as Rose is girl."

"I know. I have made no secret of that fact," Gabrielle replied with a heavy sigh. "And even if I had, you would certainly be recommending therapy for me after what we have planned for Fudge later on."

Harry knocked on the door to Number 4 Privet Drive as he and Rose reached the entrance. He had to knock twice more and was just considering kicking it in when it finally was pulled open. A red-faced Dudley nearly filled the entire frame beyond the doorway. Blinking his little piggy eyes at them it took nearly a full five seconds before Dudley responded with, "You? What are you two freaks doing back here? It's early! Your freak school doesn't let out for another week and a half!"

"Oh wow, you can count. And you know how to read a calendar. I'm honestly impressed, Big D," Harry replied in a complete monotone.

"Of course I know how to read a bloody calendar," Dudley replied scowling. "I have to know when you idiots are coming home so that I know when to get the gang together."

"Please can I hurt him, please, please?" Rose asked not even bothering to keep her voice low or wipe the snarl off her face.

Harry shook his head as Dudley took a step back and some color drained from his face. "Not yet, Rosy. Dudley, let us in. We have some business to discuss. Are your parents home yet or do we have to wait for Vernon to get home from work?"

"I thought you were staying with that other freak with crazy hair…the one who Mum said was related to you and was going to take you off our hands so that we wouldn't ever have to worry about you again…" Dudley said backing up another step and letting Harry and Rose step through the doorway.

Harry smiled showing Dudley his teeth. "Dora? Oh she has. Her and our mass murdering godfather are both sheltering us. Dora is our official guardian actually. Her entire family is descended from lots of historically Dark and Evil witches and wizards. Not all of them of course, but most of them. And all of them are insane to some degree or another. Dora for instance, is very…particular about family matters. You've hurt us pretty bad in the past Big D…if it wasn't us showing up here, it'd probably be her one day. Oh she'd deny it of course. She likes to pretend she's on the straight and narrow, but we know better, don't we? Crazy knows crazy after all."

"And your family has done a very good job of making us crazy," Rose said. Her face finally moved away from the disturbing snarl. Unfortunately for Dudley, the smirk it evolved into was even more disturbing in the number of teeth it showed, how it did not reach her eyes, and how it set chills running up and down his back.

"Um, maybe I should get Mum and Dad," Dudley whispered backing up, tripping over the umbrella stand, and falling on his back. He stared up at the twins, barely even noticing the pain in his arse.

"Good idea. Run along little piggy, and tell Vernon and Petunia to get their arses into the living room. Please." Dudley needed no further prompting and crab-walked away as fast as he could, never taking his eyes off of the twins. Harry and Rose in turn sauntered into the living room, hand-in-hand, and sat down on the couch; only their white fingers and sweaty palms betrayed their actual feelings on the situation.

"What the bloody hell is this about you freaks scaring my Dudders!?" Vernon roared from the kitchen as heavy footsteps started pounding on the floorboards. Harry's eyes narrowed and he squeezed Rose's hand harder, physically pulling her down onto the couch as she tried to rise up to meet the heavyset man's charge. "I thought I was clear that neither of you little monsters were welcome in this house! Has the tart tossed you out already? Has she wised up to your nature hmm? Well too bad for you because you can't come back here! You can survive on the streets. We'll see if that toughens you freaks up."

"Vernon," Petunia said, her voice nasal and her arms crossed as she stepped up behind him. Dudley peeked around the corner of the kitchen, only his fingers and the top of his head showing. "Vernon, really now, if the Tonks girl has wised up, then we should at least put them up in the shed outside." She grinned at the twins and held herself high, the resemblance to a horse had never been stronger and for a brief moment Harry wondered if Lily Evans had been adopted (or if Petunia had been); surely Lily and Petunia couldn't actually be related…right? "After all, it would still show them their place, it would keep that dreadful…old man from bothering us, and you…might be able to make some money off the girl now. She is older after all." Harry's stomach dropped out and his vision clouded over as his hand shot to the side already starting the process of calling the War Staff to him.

It was only when Rose growled low and moved to stand again that his concentration shifted back to his sister and away from tearing through the Dursleys. Rose's right hand had uncurled from a fist into something more reminiscent of talons – the blood still dripping from her fingernails was a nice, if unintentional, touch. Harry very nearly let her fly at the trio in front of them, though his resolve held and at the last moment he shifted his hold, grabbing her around the waist and throwing her back into the couch. " _No_. Stay!"

"I'm going to tear her fucking nose off and shove it down his throat far enough for him to choke on it." Rose didn't so much threaten, as proclaim a statement of fact. Her eyes were wide and she was taking in huge gulps of air with every breath. "You weren't here. You weren't here and I wasn't strong then. I couldn't make them understand why it was a bad idea then. I can now. I can make them _understand_ now. I don't need magic to do it. Magic would make it fun. Magic would make it _last_. But I don't _need_ it. Let me _make them understand_."

Harry glanced behind him. To his amazement, Vernon and Petunia seemed to actually possess some modicum of survival instincts as both had gone very still and backed up to plaster themselves against the wall. Turning back to Rose he laid a hand on her shoulder and said, "Rosy, you already got to act against them once. I haven't. You got to process how things ended with these bastards for a decade while I barely even know how to Apparate by myself. Keep yourself together and let me do this my way. Okay?"

Rose wound her hands into a single clenched fist in her lap and blew out a long breath slowly nodding. "…Fine. But do it fast or I'm killing them anyway. I want to leave this horrible country and we can't do that until this is done."

"I'm working on it. Just give me a minute, luv. I promise you, this is going to be worth it." Rubbing his thumb over her knuckles one final time, Harry turned, placing himself between the Dursleys and Rose. Nodding to Vernon and Petunia he continued with a wide smile on his face. Nobody was fooled into thinking it was genuine. "Sorry you had to see that. Bit of a dispute over your eventual fate there. Now where we?"

"You can't hurt us," Petunia said stepping forward her earlier confidence starting to reassert itself now that Rose wasn't directly visible anymore. What short memories these fools had. "That Headmaster would never let you."

"Albus Dumbledore is busy dealing with far larger problems right now. In case you haven't turned on the news lately, there have been several major mass-murderers that escaped from prison recently. _Our_ prison," Harry crowed, his grin shifting to a smirk. "For those too stupid to follow, I mean _wizards_ and _witches_ who love to kill _Muggles_. And their leader has been resurrected and is leading the crowd, maybe you've heard of him, Petunia? The name Voldemort ring a bell?"

The woman gasped and stumbled backwards going pale as a sheet. Vernon on the other hand purpled as he glared at Harry. "What did you do to my wife you little freak!?"

"Absolutely nothing, yet," Harry shrugged. "All I did was tell her that the guy that killed her sister and brother-in-law, the same guy that started a massive Civil War in the Wizarding World, is back in full force and busted out all of his imprisoned mass-murdering followers earlier. So yeah, no help is coming for you from Dumbledore's quarter; he's busy. And if Rose and I don't kill you, you can be sure that Voldemort and his people will if only because you're kinda sorta related to Lily Potter and me. And I didn't ask for your protection when I bartered for our freedom."

"You did _what_?" Petunia hissed. She pulled away from Vernon and stalked towards him her hand raised as if to slap him. "That abomination killed Lily! You bargained with that _monster_!"

"Yes, I did. We never knew our parents. Thanks to you three we never grew up with anything approaching a loving environment. It's a wonder we're not the same type of murder happy monster that he is. Hell, Rose is starting down that path and if I'm not careful about watching her, Gabrielle is going to end up encouraging it with her Veela inclination towards rage and lust. We're trying to channel it towards vengeance. We're running out of targets, but I'm hopeful that therapy is going to work. If not, we might have to go full vigilante in order to make sure that Rose doesn't become the same sort of monster we despise." Harry paused and tapped his side as his other hand rose to hover in midair. When he continued speaking his voice was barely loud enough to carry to his own ears and all trace of playful banter had bled out, leaving a toneless, emotional void in its wake. "You turned us into this. You and the fucking Ministry. We're letting the entire bloody country burn in Voldemort's war, to get back at the Ministry. The goblin tunnels aren't bad enough for you…"

"Harry," Rose's voice cut through the fog around his mind and the haze across his vision as his mind was just reaching out to tug on the Staff. "If I don't get to kill them, neither do you. We agreed."

" _What are you_?" Dudley whispered from back near the kitchen, his fingers clenched tight over the doorjamb and his jaw slack.

Dropping his hand to his side, Harry sighed. "We are broken." He shook himself and lifted his head focusing on each Dursley in turn. "Okay, here's how this going to go. I'm going to toss a piece of rope onto the floor. You're all going to hold onto it. Then it's going to take you to some accountants we know – where you are going to work off a debt that you owe us. You've been spending money on yourselves that should have been used on our care as stipulated in our parents' will. We've lived in hell for our whole lives, while you lived like kings. That gets reversed now. Now you get to work in mines and shovel dragon shite for the next 30 years in order to pay off that debt; with interest. From what I understand, most people don't survive 10 years. If you're really determined though, you might make it. If you do, congratulations. I'll even give the goblins our new address so that you can come and look us up for your own revenge afterwards. We'll probably just kill you then though, so I suggest you take what's left of your life at that point and try to live it – if you can. Most can't."

"Or I can kill you now freak," Vernon spat the vein on his temple throbbing and his entire face going puce.

"Well you can try," Harry said shrugging. "I'm not helpless though, and considering I took you out when I was ten, I bet I could take you out pretty easily now too. That's not even getting into calling on my magic, my War Staff, the three magicals outside who are all fairly eager to throttle you, Rose…You really don't have any options here, Vernon."

"Unless he's trying to get you to kill him now," Rose commented offhand.

"Yeah, but the time for that is past. I've said my piece and they've fired their biggest guns. They've punched our buttons and we haven't snapped fully yet, so I doubt we'd lose control in a minor scuffle. All they'd succeed in doing is getting roughed up a bit before being sent to the goblins." Harry smiled at Vernon. "So what's it going to be Vernon? Try to get us to kill you and your family right now and save them 30 years of agony and hard labor, or suck it up and give them a chance to survive?"

"I'LL KILL YOU, YOU LITTLE FREAK!" Vernon screeched charging across the room. His hands were held out in front of him, his pupils narrowed to pinpoints, his mouth frothing, and his legs moving at faster speeds than Harry had ever seen the man urge his bulk before.

It was nothing to a striking snake or an angry kangaroo.

Harry calmly stepped to the side and stuck a foot in Vernon's path. Scabbling fingers missed Harry by a wide margin and Vernon's chin impacted the floor with a loud crack that split the room. One flailing boot nearly managed to clip Harry, but he leant to the side and avoided being knocked about the head by it and instead chuckled as the attached shin crashed into the side of the table, smashing the table and sending a dull thud resounding from Vernon's leg. Whimpering, Vernon still tried to reach for Harry, though he barely seemed able to move his bulk as blood trickled from between his lips.

"Oh, looks like you broke your jaw and probably cracked some teeth there, Vernon. Hopefully you just bruised your shin and didn't break it on the table. A miner with a broken shin really doesn't tend to make it very long and goblin healing hurts like a bitch from what I understand. I mean, I slept through most of History of Magic so I may be remembering it wrong and they may just eat their wounded…I honestly don't really know. Guess you can find out! Write to me and let me know okay!"

Taking a piece of rope out of his pocket, Harry pulled up Vernon's shirt and dropped it onto his back eliciting a moan from the prone man. He looked to the remaining horrified members of the Dursley family. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get the fuck over here and touch the rope!" Harry's joviality slipped and his snarl appeared at the end of the statement. Petunia and Dudley to their credit, didn't argue any further and nearly ran to touch a part of the rope lying on their patriarch. Harry nodded and held his hand behind him waiting for Rose to stand and join him. As her felt her hand slip into his he took a breath and nodded. "We are Harry and Rose Potter. We are broken, but we are alive. We are trying to heal."

"You didn't kill us. You didn't beat us," Rose continued. "We will one day forget you and what you did to us."

"You didn't have to love us. You didn't even have to like us. All you had to do was not hate us, and that would have been enough."

"But it was too much for you. You hated your sister and so you hated us. And you dragged your husband and your son into it. Now they share this with you."

"Any remorse and we might have let you go, even now," Harry said, shaking his head. "Because as much as we despise you, you are family. But no, you hate us even more than before, don't you?"

"Why?"

"Because you have each other…" Petunia whispered her head lowered and refusing to meet their gaze. "You never gave the other up and you never let go no matter what. You are both stronger than I ever was. I can't stand to look at you and see a constant reminder of why I am not you, why I was not Lily. I will never stop hating you for that."

Harry turned to Rose and nodded. Twisting to look back to Dudley, he sighed. "I hope you do survive the mines Dudley. Do yourself a favor and don't come after us if you do. Remember your mother's lesson. Remember our lesson. We're both stuck and we're both filled with hate. Let it go if you can. You hurt us for years so we can't let you go right now, but we'll let things drop if you leave us alone when you get out. Goodbye Vernon, Dudley. Petunia, rot in fucking hell."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fanfic Rec: 'Too Many Travellers' by Inusitatus. This is a long oneshot where Harry/Tonks/Cedric/Sirius/Remus are all tossed back to Harry's Sorting after they died in canon (at the same time in the past) and they proceed to immediately play merry hell with the timeline fixing all problems in about five minutes in the most amusing fashion possible. Shortly after things get even more entertaining as Future Hermione Luna and Neville burst onto the scene mostly because Hermione invented a portal to sex up her MIA Harry. VERY entertaining and mostly crack though utterly hilarious throughout.
> 
> Second rec: 'Stop worrying for one evening' by VonPelt. Yeah another VonPelt oneshot and I know I try to avoid recommending the same author two chapters in a row but since we're basically at the end, and it's a really good oneshot I figured I might as well. This is Harry/Tonks where Harry takes Tonks to Slughorn's party and they both actually have QUITE a good time. It's notable for including Penelope as well in a far different role than 'Percy's wife character'.


	16. The State of Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Again, thanks to my beta, Grey Raven 09.

**Chapter 16: The State of Things**

The past few months had been like a living nightmare for Cornelius Fudge. First his prize Undersecretary had vanished, kidnapped right from her office. Then _pieces_ of her had been found, if 'found' could even be said to be the right word. More like 'sent' or 'gifted', as if her killer had been bragging about the deed. Then the Daily Prophet stopped printing their general inflammatory articles that he so enjoyed reading as Rita Skeeter disappeared into parts unknown and nasty rumors sprung up about her pissing in the face of the wrong party. No one else was willing to start taking the same risks, for if someone had made a person as high profile as Skeeter disappear, imagine what they would do to a nobody! And then to top off the bad month of bad months, he received four hits in a row to his entire administration personally!

He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was not only alive, but returned and stronger than ever.

He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had attacked Azkaban and thanks to the drastically reduced security measures – the budget cuts had seemed like such a smart idea at the time – neatly waltzed right through, taking his primary supporters back with no fuss, and roping the Dementors into his ranks as well. The meager resistance that the Aurors were able to mount on short notice took heavy casualties.

He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named killed Cedric Diggory during the Triwizard Tournament championship finals.

And most damning of all: _Harry Potter_ _abandoned them and released a statement blaming Cornelius Fudge personally!_

Fudge looked around his office one last time with his lime green bowler hat clutched in his hands and struggled not to cry. He blinked away tears and vehemently shook his head, shoving the hat onto his skull. The reporters would not see him weak. He was a politician and while he would never again be able to hold this office, he would bounce back and he would still be able to pull his career out of the ashes. He could hold a new office one day. Not one as high, true, but still one that would let him line his vault and get his friends their deserved jobs. He would preserve. It wasn't _his_ fault that the Dark Lord chose this year of all years to stage a comeback. Nor was it _his_ fault that the Potter twins decided to throw a tantrum at Britain. No. He could still spin this as long as he looked strong on the way out.

So, with his head held high and a thin smile on his face, Fudge walked out of the Minister for Magic's office two days after the reveal of Voldemort and before the Wizengamot could call for their vote of No Confidence. He walked through the sharks in the Atrium, avoiding answering questions with his years of experience at side-stepping responses. He smiled and nodded and responded and assured. He Flooed home. And finally, finally, he let out the breath of relief at the charade being over and he collapsed into his chair and hung his head and let his frustration out…and he cried.

"Aww, look at that, we don't even have to do anything and we already broke him. You were right, Harry! Too bad we can't drag this out. You should have bargained for more time."

Fudge's head whipped up as his eyes snapped from side to side, searching for the source of the mocking female voice invading his home.

A snort sounded from his left and he cracked his neck from whiplash as he tried to catch sight of the person who made it. "Nah, I was lucky to get what I did instead of him demanding we leave immediately."

"True, true." This time the voice was from his right. Fudge's neck ached with pain as he twisted back around again and he let out a whimper. He pawed for his wand on the table to his side, the blood draining from his face as he found it gone.

"Rose, 'arry, my loves, I think we should drop ze Disillusionment before 'e breaks his neck trying to find us." A third voice joined the other two, this one directly in front of his chair. Fudge cringed back trying to make himself as small as possible – it wasn't very successful thanks to his fairly considerable splurging while in office.

"Aww, you're no fun."

Fudge's horror melted from panic to shock to outrage as the forms of Rose and Harry Potter shimmered into view on either side of his easy chair with the tall blonde French tart they had been seen with all year in front of him. Scowling, Fudge shifted in his seat and sat up straight as he glared at the stupid teenagers. "What prank are you fools playing at? Give me back my wand and get out of my home! Maybe then I won't have the Aurors arrest you for this break-in!"

"Wow, that's a lot of bluster for someone facing three wands and Veela fire," Harry replied calmly tapping his own wand against the palm of his hand and nodding to the French girl in the middle of the group. "Or did you forget that Gabrielle can roast you before you could get your fat arse out of that chair hmm?"

Fudge felt a bead of sweat break out along his forehead though he attempted to ignore it and scowled. "Oh please, none of you are even 15 yet. You may talk big, and you may have sent an amusing letter with big words to the Daily Prophet blaming me for all of your troubles, but you don't have the bollocks to do anything about it. We both know you're going to walk out of my door and I'm going to call the Aurors and you're going to pay a hefty fine and that's going to be the end of things. Now get out!"

"Huh," Rose said blinked and cocking her head. "You know I think losing your job actually did you some good. If you had a modicum of this sort of sense originally, we might have actually been able to walk away from this thing without being shattered originally. Unfortunately, you didn't and we were. So now it's time to reap the consequences of your actions; well you haven't done them yet, actually, but it's really all the same to us at this point."

Fudge blinked and tried to parse her words into something that made sense. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

Harry nodded. "Of course you don't. Let me rephrase for my sister: In the original timeline, Cedric was murdered, Voldemort stayed in the shadows, I was blamed for my classmate's death, and when I defended myself from Dementors sent by Umbridge to kill me, you used me as a political pawn to steal power from Dumbledore." Fudge felt his head spin as Harry Potter's words pounded like a sledgehammer into his skull. No one could travel through time longer than a few hours, that wasn't how Time Turners worked…but if someone could…if anyone could... _of course_ it would be the Potters. "You and Umbridge both tore apart our family. You killed us as sure as putting the wands to our heads and firing a Killing Curse or tossing us through the Veil."

"But we found our way back…eventually," Rose continued. She stepped closer to the French girl and reached out to hold the tart's hand, squeezing briefly. "Thanks to some people who never gave up on us." The blonde smiled at Rose though the expression quickly dropped off as she focused back on him with beaded eyes. He shrank into the cushion, watching the outlines of feathers appearing on the girl's arms and flickers of orange flame seeming to dance between her fingers.

"Oh look, he believes us," Harry commented chuckling. Fudge couldn't look at the teenager(?), he couldn't tear his eyes away from the Veela in front of him as her features sharpened and the feathers grew more defined. "We had to actually show Umbitch the memories of the trial to get her to listen. Do think that makes this idiot smarter or just more open to stupid ideas?"

"Nah, he just realizes that if anyone can bend time over and make it our bitch, it would be us. Fudge is smart that way, aren't you buddy?" Rose said, laughing. Fudge just nodded dumbly as the flames on the Veela's fingers grew and the girl started to bounce a small ball of fire back and forth between her hands. He steadfastly chose to ignore the growing wet spot on his pants.

"You can't punish me for something I've never even done!" Fudge squeaked out, his voice high and barely recognizable even to his own ears.

"Zat is where you are wrong," the Veela responded. She coughed and frowned. "My apologies; my accent returns sometimes during heightened emotions and I want you to be able to understand me completely. You see, Cornelius, you are the last name on our list. While others have hurt us, you are the last of those who have personally sought to intentionally destroy our family. We have taken care of everyone else. We don't particularly care if you have done it yet or not in this altered timeline. We care that you already did it to us in our past. You have suffered, but you have not suffered enough."

"You were the ones who killed Dolores," he whispered.

"We did," Harry confirmed with a nod.

"She mindwiped my brother and worse, she sealed his magic. She claimed she killed him. For all intents and purposes, she did. We returned the favor."

"…You killed Rita Skeeter too didn't you?"

"She went after our family. We don't tolerate that," Rose replied. "The _Prophet_ cooling down in general was nice, but unintentional."

"The other disappearances…Snape, Lucius's son…those were you as well, weren't they?" Fudge knew he was crying again and the wet spot on his trousers had spread. He wasn't getting out and there was no rescue that would come. He had tickled the sleeping dragon in their past and he was going to burn in its flaming wrath for that mistake now. The first rule of politics was to never set yourself against an opponent more powerful than you – unless you crushed them in a single blow. He had apparently done so, and yet, failed to fully follow through. That was going to be a fatal mistake.

"Well go figure," Harry snorted, "you _do_ have some instincts after all! I guess you had to in order to become Minister in the first place. Shame you had to set yourself against us, huh? Alright, well, we have places to go, homes to buy, and friends to meet up with. Any last words Fudge?"

"Will – " his throat clenched up and he had to force himself to take several deep breaths before he could start over. Even when he did, he wasn't proud of the shrill aspect his voice took on. "Will it be quick?"

The Veela's grin split and the laughter that rang out sent such chills down his back that for a moment he worried a Dementor had entered the home. "Quick? Oh no, no. No! Cornelius Fudge, you my dear, dear Minister, get _special_ treatment. You see, while Umbridge railroaded my Bonded and nearly drove my love insane, she was not the one who spearheaded the intent – merely the method. _You_ were the one who chose to push forward with using 'arry as the pawn in your game. _You_ told her to move forward with getting rid of my Mate. _You_ get to experience one of my inventions first hand."

Rose smiled and pulled out a rune-studded stone as she stepped forward. "Gabrielle is a bit of a tinkerer. She and I never really finished school you see so we're mostly self-educated. She's a bit of a genius when it comes to runes, arithmancy, and charms though so she came up with a lot of new stuff. Not all of it was super successful and a lot of the earlier things ended up going in a very different direction than what we had intended."

"Spell invention is hard as it turns out. Who knew?" Harry said with a smirk and a shrug.

"This one in particular," Rose said hefting her stone and waving it towards Fudge who just cringing away deeper into his chair. "This one we call the Eternal Flame. We were trying for an interrogation tool when we were attempting to track down Harry's location from Umbridge's fixer squad."

The Veela picked up the explanation from there. It did not make things better. "I tried to mix my own nature into the magic of the rune. I thought that if I could keep it non-lethal while inducing feelings of burning for a short period the subject would be far more willing to cooperate and tell us what we needed to know. The issue is that Veela magic is far more potent than I had expected and it paired quite energetically with the stasis matrix. Final tests on the subjects we experimented with showed that the magic involved lasts for about a decade before finally fading away and letting the body die from exhaustion and stress. I'm fairly certain that the mind will have expired _long_ before then to madness from the constant burning and flames."

Harry stepped forward and tapped Fudge's head, Fudge almost felt that the young man was a statue carved out of stone for as much emotion as he was showing right now. "Translation, Fudge: you're going to feel like you're burning alive for about how long you left the three of us in a living hell. So no, it's not going to be quick. It's going to be long, you're going to go mad, and only then, at the very end, will you finally die. You fucked with our family. You don't get to make that mistake again. Goodbye, Fudge."

He opened his mouth. Whether to beg for his life or to scream for help, even he didn't know. Either way, he didn't have the time to find out for in the space between seconds, Gabrielle Delacour took a step forward and shoved the stone against his chest, her manic grin spreading from ear to ear and the feathers on her arms coated every visible inch of skin.

Cornelius Fudge knew nothing but agony from that moment on, and, thanks to the stasis portion of the spellwork, he couldn't even scream his torment.

* * *

It had been nearly fifteen months since the Dark Lord returned. Fifteen months of civil war. Fifteen months of fear. Fifteen months of neighbors murdering neighbors. Fifteen months of attacks on Muggles or 'Blood Traitors'. Fifteen months of Aurors tightening their rules and restrictions in an effort to fight back. Fifteen months of Albus Dumbledore moving every mountain to try and convince the world that things were under control, but that, yes, they could use a bit of assistance, if possible. Fifteen months of Wizarding Britain realizing that maybe – just maybe – they had grown stagnant and complacent.

The first time Janet Sherwood took her children to Diagon Alley for Hogwarts supplies after He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had returned, they had all been in denial. Everyone ran from shop to shop, terrified that a Death Eater would show up in the middle of the street and start killing them all. She had searched every corner for a threat without really believing that one could exist. She had heard about the random killings and the terror attacks that occurred whenever there seemed to be more students coming to get supplies for school. She had known in her head that such a thing happened; had even read about it occurring the week before, but it didn't mean it could happen to _her_ children.

She'd lost Johnson in the massacre outside of Madame Malkin's Robes when she was getting him new dress robes for the Yule Ball during the holidays several months later.

She hadn't paid any attention to him talking about how he had said that many of his classmates hadn't come back to Hogwarts after classes started back up in September. How he'd heard rumors that several had left with the Potters. Or that several had been killed during raids on Diagon Alley during the summer. Or how others had been murdered in their homes by Death Eaters looking for 'Blood Traitors' or 'Mudbloods'. She hadn't paid attention. She should have.

She hadn't even finished processing her son's death when her friend, Melanie, died during the fight that broke out in Hogsmeade during a school trip a few weeks later.

That was when things started to sink in – for Janet at least. She started talking to her remaining friends. Some had snapped out of their daze earlier it seemed, while others were still trying to say that it would all blow over. That the Potters would come back and kill the evil creature inciting all of this madness. Some of the more delusional ones even seemed to think that they were immune to the violence. Why? Because they paid the Death Eaters off?

Melanie had paid the Death Eaters protection money too. It hadn't shielded her from the curses let loose that day. Her gold had lined those bastards' pockets and done nothing to save Melanie's life when it counted.

Janet supposed she couldn't really be too harsh though; after all, half of Hogsmeade was destroyed in that particular assault just because some recruit got it into his head that experimenting with Fiendfyre would be fun. Janet felt her cheeks grow wet as the memories of that particular scene surged to the front again and the smell that accompanied the area as she cradled her friend's body. At least Melanie had just died to a Killing Curse. She had gone easily and quickly.

No, no one was safe. No one was safe meaning that everyone was a target.

And if everyone was a target then everyone needed to start to fight back. They couldn't count on some teenagers that had abandoned them to fight back against the power-hungry sadists at their door. Janet closed her eyes as she clutched Johnson's photograph to her breast. How she _wished_ she could blame the Potters for running away – and taking so many of the Neutrals with them.

Dumbledore's Phoenixes were ineffective at best, counterproductive at worst. Every so often they would capture a Death Eater, yet whenever said Death Eater was captured and turned over to the Aurors they wound up back on the streets or in their mansions again by the end of the day. 'Lack of evidence', 'vigilante justice', 'insufficient cause', etc. etc. it was never enough, there was always a loophole and Dumbledore was only now beginning to learn, yet he still wasn't willing to take the necessary steps, to use lethal force – as far as Janet could see from the reports.

The Aurors were no better. They couldn't cut corners to keep the bloody horrors in containment and they couldn't kill them unless in direct combat. Once they had them, they caved to the corrupt Wizengamot and had to let them all go, unless they were caught red-handed. And none of the smart Death Eaters were ever caught red-handed. Janet could count on one hand the number of Aurors worth their salt. It was almost like they were being hamstrung from within, despite Director Bone's continual purges of her department.

Oh, if only she could blame all of this on the Potters leaving things would be so much _easier_! She'd at least have someone to hate and someone to blame!

And yet…and yet they had seen the writing on the wall. They had been the smart ones. They had known long before Janet did what was going to happen. They had known and they hadn't had strong enough ties to stay. They had decided it wasn't worth it. Janet almost made that same choice, except the memories of Melanie and Johnson stayed her hand.

She'd stay. She'd stay and she'd make them pay. She'd make them all pay. She'd gather her friends willing to take up wands, and together they would start to rally the rest of the community, then the countryside, then the country. If the Aurors and Dumbledore's Phoenixes weren't being effective, Janet would just have to make sure to gather _everyone else in the whole bloody country_!

The Death Eaters would pay for killing her family and friends.

* * *

Flora Carrow shut her eyes and ground her teeth, the closing door thankfully cutting out the screams of pain behind her. She let out a long breath and loosened her clenched hands before turning to her sister standing at the window of their room. "I can't keep doing this, Hestia. It's been over a year. Half our friends are dead, half our friends are murderers, half our friends are still convinced it's going to blow over."

"That's three halves. Did you fail maths sister?" Hestia asked without looking away from the view of the stars and the smoke from the burning village below their home.

"I don't care about maths! I care that if we stay here any longer, we're going to end up just as crazy as Aunt Alecto and Uncle Amycus! You asked me to stay and I tried, but I can't do it anymore it! I can't keep hearing those people in the dungeon, Tia," Flora's voice cracked on a sob. "I _knew_ Martin. He was _nice_. What did he do wrong? Be born to the wrong person?"

"According to Aunt Alecto," Hestia murmured. She shook her head and trailed a hand down the side of the window frame. "If we leave they will hunt us. We're not like the other twins. We're Death Eater spawn."

"Rumor has it that the Potters made a deal before they left."

"…Flora, why do you think I asked you to stay?" Her sister finally turned to look at her. Flora nearly recoiled. It was the first good look she'd had at Hestia in months. Hestia had always been careful to stay in the shadows and to keep her cloak up. Flora hadn't even noticed until this moment, but now…now it was obvious why…Hestia had given up. The bags under her eyes, the sunken skin, the nearly death-like pallor to her complexion…

"Tia, what…what the bloody hell?" Flora whispered.

"I've been trying to find why they let Rose and Harry go without sending out hunting parties for them. I thought that if those two could get away, maybe we could too. The Weasleys are easy. Nobody cares about the jokesters. They're easy to dismiss as unimportant. The family may be 'Blood Traitors' but they're small fish, and when the whole country is fighting nobody cares about a family of redheads with no money. But the Potters _have_ money, and _status_ , and _importance_. And the Dark Lord himself let them walk away."

Flora swallowed a growing lump in her throat. Her sister wouldn't look like that if she had hope still. "You found the reason?"

"I finally got Lucius Malfoy talking earlier."

"Lucius? Tia, what did you do?" Hestia twisted back to the window and refused to meet Flora's gaze. Flora's stomach dropped out. "Tia, what did you do?"

"What I had to," she whispered in a voice so soft that it barely carried to Flora's ears. Flora choked back a sob. "It doesn't matter. Flora, Harry had some sort of anchor to the Dark Lord's life within him. We're never going to be able to get away because he bartered his safety by using _that_ as a safeguard. The insane bastard is never going to hunt Harry, since if he does, he loses a guarantee that he stays alive through whatever the Aurors throw at him."

Flora's mind kicked into gear and her eyes narrowed. She peered at her sister's back though she didn't see it. A grin slowly spread across her face. "…Malfoy wasn't supposed to tell you that."

Hestia snorted. "Of course he wasn't! I was finally letting him fuck me, Flora, the bastard was going to tell me whatever the hell I wanted to know if he wanted into my robes!"

"So, we use _that_ ," Flora stated.

Hestia turned so fast that she nearly fell. "What?!"

"If we even _hint_ to the Dark Lord at Lucius telling us something from when Rose and Harry got away…what's going on in that dungeon would seem like child's play compared to what would happens to Lucius."

Hestia slowly nodded, a grin starting to form on her own face as well. "And Lucius knows that too. So he'd be perfectly willing to fake our deaths and get us out of the country."

"I hear Rose and Harry are in Australia."

"And Fred and George were supposedly making their way over there too last they were seen…"

"Can we do this? Are we sure?"

"I can't stay here anymore, Flora. I'd rather die by your hand than become like Alecto. We do this or we die. It's that simple."

Flora nodded. "I agree. Though, sis, before we commit, you do know that there is supposedly a real resistance movement growing right? Not just the Auror pushback anymore, I mean a real resistance. I heard about it that last time I was in town."

Hestia grimaced. "Lucius talked about that too once he was done. The fighting is just going to get worse because of it. This war is only getting started, Flora. They push back, we push harder. We push harder, they fight dirtier. I looked up Muggle history a few weeks back. Remember the last French civil war? How so few of the pureblood families survived? And that was a muggle civil war, the magicals had nothing to do with that one! This is going to end up just like that. And since the Dark Lord apparently can't be permanently killed, I'd be surprised if there are any British magicals of note left once everything is said and done. We need to leave or we need to die while we still have our souls."

Flora took one more look at the curl of smoke rising into view through their window and blotting out the stars. She squared her shoulders and grabbed her wand. "Just tell me when we are going, sister."


	17. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Again, thanks to my beta, Grey Raven 09. And so, we come to the close. I hope everyone has enjoyed this story and the journey that I've taken Harry and his sister on. I'm extremely happy that I've been able to get a twin fic finished! This has been a fun experience for me and I'm going to miss these characters a great deal.

_**Epilogue** _

"Girl are you ready yet? I thought that conference thingamajig started at 2?" Tracey's voice rang out through the small flat assaulting Hermione's ears. Wincing, she glanced at her watch and let out a short groan.

"Oh, for crying out loud, it shouldn't be this hard to decide which earrings to wear," she muttered to her reflection. "I could kill Lavender for talking about fashion so much."

"Or you could kill me, since I'm the one you keep getting all girlied up for," Tracey teased poking her head around the door. "Thingamajig?"

"Yes, it starts at 2 o'clock; we have five minutes, I only need about one to apparate us to my workroom around the corner and we can find seats from there. Blue or green?"

"Green."

Hermione rolled her eyes though she set the blue earrings to the side and slipping on the other set. "You always say that. And stop calling it a thingamajig! It's a highly anticipated conference discussing the implications of Many-Worlds Theory and how String mechanics could affect Brane manipulations on such a system to enable a Closed Timelike Curve effect."

"Thingamajig," Tracey replied nodding sagely, her face betraying no hint of emotion whatsoever.

"Oh shush, you. I think there is practical applications. Especially after the latest notes and figures that Gabrielle and Rose sent our way. With a bit of work we might just be able to manipulate the science side of things and pull the magic aspect into play. We could be looking at – "

"Exactly how they got here and messed around with things to begin with," Tracey said sighing. She stepped fully into the room and hitched an arm around Hermione's elbow starting to drag her girlfriend towards the exit to their flat. "Look, sweetie, I may not be as bright as you, but I'm not stupid. Don't play around with this stuff. Please. Our lives aren't perfect, but they're plenty good enough for me. Everyone I care about is safe and relatively happy. Let things lie."

Hermione frowned, shaking her head. Tracey refused to meet her eyes even when she shifted her pocketbook around enough to grab the brunette's hand and squeeze hard enough to cut off circulation. "England is still burning. It's been years. There's talk of quarantining the entire island."

Tracey kept moving them both towards the front door. Her hand closed over the knob and she froze for a second staring at the wooden door before murmuring almost too softly to hear, "Good. They've waited too long to put that in place."

"You don't mean that!" Hermione slammed her hand against the door and held it closed.

"We're going to be late."

"Stop and bloody talk to me, dammit!"

Tracey didn't let go of the door handle though she did turn to meet Hermione's eyes. The bubbly persona she usually displayed to all and sundry had fled in the face of their chatter and Hermione was reminded firmly of just why Tracey had been sorted into the House of the cunning and ambitious. The look in Tracey's eyes sent shivers down Hermione's spine and, for once, she didn't enjoy the feeling. "Hermione, Voldemort is going to get tired of dealing with his civil war against Grey Lady Janet Something-or-other one day. He's going to take in enough people from other countries to crush everyone against him. Then he's going to get restless and move out. Eventually he's going to make a move for Harry and Rose. It's who he is, it's what he does.

"They got away from him and everyone knows it. He let people know he made them a deal. That was fine when it was a small war, when things were going to be over and done with quick, and nobody outside cared. But it's not small anymore, and now people look at their example and they want to know why he let the twins go. He's not going to like being questioned and, while he's saner than we ever expected, it's eventually not going to matter. He's going to have to go after them if only to keep hold of what he has."

"I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"You're smart, girl," Tracey sighed. "Use those brains of yours. We're going to a lecture that you want to use to figure out how to make time travel work long term, instead of just in the Time Turners. Rose and Gabrielle are already working on rebuilding whatever the hell they made to come back. I'm betting their original version was flawed, and dangerous as all hell, otherwise they wouldn't need to consult with you again now. Hell, they probably _did_ consult with you and you told them off for exactly that reason. And they went ahead anyway because neither thinks right when Harry is in danger. If Voldemort comes after them, do you think they are going to wait long enough to gather the rest of us, or do you think they are going to circle the wagons with a faulty time leap machine and jump back to try again? What happens to us in that scenario?"

Hermione flashed through a dozen options in as many seconds each more horrifying than the last. She felt the blood drain from her face and she tried to swallow on a suddenly dry throat. "…Oh…"

"Yeah," Tracey chuckled mirthlessly. "So, let's hope that the idiots in the local governments finally pull their heads out of their arses and magically quarantine Britain before we have to move in next door to the Potters just to make sure we get a ticket on their emergency universe escape train."

"Perhaps, perhaps we should move anyway…Once I finish this course. Just in case. Being prepared never hurt anyone, right?"

Tracey laughed though the warmth had crept back into her tone. "We'll discuss it later. Right now, we have to get to your thingamajig. We're already going to be late!"

Hermione gulped and nodded. "Yes, and this lecture is suddenly even more important than I had thought. Come on then, let's go and try to figure out the mysteries of the universe. And save it from the wrath of paranoid Potters."

* * *

Daphne bit her tongue to keep the smirk she felt inside from showing on her features. This poor fool had no idea of the political coup he had just handed her. Full control of the exports of Antipodean Opaleyes, Pygmy Puffs, and Billywigs? The head of the taxation department alone was going to be calling for Martin Skorakoski's head in a few days! Granted he probably had no idea what a Pygmy Puff _was_ considering that the Weasleys had only succeeded in breeding the creatures a few days ago, and she'd ensured that the man didn't have any younger children who would've been falling over themselves to get on the waiting list for one. Plus, Daphne had been rather successful with hiding the other two breeds in the minutia of her bill's riders. None of that changed the fact that she had gotten it signed into law.

Now she – acting as the official Representative of House Potter of course – had sole say in the pricing, taxation, exemption, distribution, etc. of three of the five major sources of intercontinental creature trade routes leaving Australia! How long the situation would last would be interesting. She gave it two, maybe three months before someone caught on and she doubted she had enough support to keep such a large monopoly. Even with the Pygmy Puff tax exemption going into the right hands, it wouldn't be enough. There simply were too few well-placed politicians in this court with appropriately aged children. Ah well, she'd enjoy it while it lasted and line the vaults of both herself and her patrons.

As she stepped out of the room and gathered her hair into a ponytail, Daphne slipped a gold band onto her ring finger in preparation for her next meeting. A quick spell had her clothes slightly frumpled and her hair mussed just enough to give the impression that she had just left the house in a hurry. "The things I do for you people," she murmured to herself, though her grin betrayed her true feelings.

This 'meeting' wasn't anything difficult or something that stretched her morals at all. She wasn't a stranger to trading sex for votes; having to pretend to cheat on a nonexistent husband to get a rise out of her mark was a new one for her however. It did spice things up and the thrill of the chase before finally finding what had set him raring to go had done more for her than her last three conquests combined.

Daphne paused to consider that train of thought and her smile dimmed for a brief moment. "Hmm, perhaps I should schedule some time with the family's therapist too…No. That's for people who want to change. I like who I am." Nodding to herself, Daphne spun in place and Apparated to cement her next alliance.

It didn't last long unfortunately; he'd been late for a meeting of his own so hadn't had time to play. Still, she had secured his cooperation for the coming legislation on centaur suffrage so the morning goal was accomplished even if she wasn't fully satisfied. She'd finish herself off shortly.

First, she needed to check in.

As she Flooed back into her home she dropped her bags and reached over to call her patrons. Harry answered on the second ring. "You are now the proud controllers of the largest portion of magical creature import/export rules in the country. Congratulations!"

"…Hello to you too, Daphne." Came Harry's amused replied through the phone's speaker. "And thank you I assume? I honestly have no idea what that means. Should I? Did we discuss this already?"

"Fred and George Weasley said they had bred the Pygmy Puffs in their last letter, remember? I thought we should get ahead of the demand and get in on the ground floor," she explained waving a hand in the air despite him not being able to see it.

Harry chuckled. "So instead of becoming a silent partner in their business, you decided it would be easier to regulate the trade of half the country to cut better deals for us and our political allies?"

"To be fair, I did make you a silent partner in their business as well. You, specifically, have a 17 percent stake. So do Rose and Gabrielle."

"51 percent total huh?" Harry whistled. "And they were okay with this?"

Daphne smiled thinking back to the night with the twins. _That_ had been a new experience for her indeed. One that was going to be repeated shortly. They'd had stipulations for agreeing to her partnership. She'd not objected at all. "You have your ways, I have mine."

"…Should I ask if their girlfriends cared?"

"I don't know if they have ones currently. I didn't ask and they didn't volunteer that information. Do you want me to ask the next time?"

She could hear his shudder over the phone which should have been impossible. "Please don't. Or if you do don't tell me. One set of twins' sex lives is enough. Well, two I guess, since the Carrow twins showed up last night. They've apparently had quite the adventure getting here. When you have a moment, we need to talk about getting them new names and papers. They've requested help and we've tentatively granted it. I don't remember much about them, but they seemed nice, Rose said they tried to watch out for her the first time around, and they've had it pretty bad recently from what I've seen."

Daphne frowned. She had no issues helping Flora and Hestia, but she really did want to finish what Frank had started. "Is it something that needs to be done immediately or can I wait an hour or two?"

"The Carrows are staying with us for now. We have enough spare rooms that they're good to go. If you can get it done by the end of the week so they can leave the manor it would be greatly appreciated though."

"Understood," Daphne said almost sighing in relief. "Do let me know if anyone wants anything else specific. Otherwise I'll be over with the papers in a day. Maybe three depending on how long it takes to find my contact."

"Gotcha. Talk to you later, Daph."

The click as her patron hung up was swiftly followed by Daphne setting her phone onto the side table and shucking the remainder of her clothes. She smiled as she shut the door to her room, her mind starting to wander to all of the deals she'd have to cut and favors she'd have to cash in and exchange in order to procure papers for the Carrows. "You keep me so busy, Harry. So many politicians to play with, so many people to deceive, so much wonderful intrigue, all the games to keep in the air. Best decision I've ever made!" she gasped. Daphne closed her eyes and kept her mind focused forward, her breathing hitching and little mewls escaping as her fingers worked.

Yes, choosing to work for the Potters was truly letting her have her cake and eat it too. All of the political fun, none of the family problems that came with the Greengrass name. And she even got to explore parts of herself she'd written off as useless. Yes, all was definitely, definitely, as it was supposed to be for Daphne Greengrass.

* * *

Harry hung up the phone rolling his eyes and dropped into his couch. Dora raised her eyebrows from her position draped over the armchair nearby. "Something funny there, Harry? Didn't quite catch enough of that conversation to follow along. Clue a girl in?"

"Daphne apparently worked her magic and made herself into a single point of contact for how intercountry creature transport laws and taxes are changed. I think. She wasn't really forthcoming and you know that's not my area. Hell, this is what we pay her for anyway, so I don't _have_ to know what I'm talking about."

Dora snorted and picked up her copy of the Quibbler again. "Yeah, I give it a month before somebody realizes how badly they screwed the pooch on that one and changes the laws back."

"Who's screwing me!?" a disembodied voice yelped from somewhere down the hall. Harry and Dora both ignored it.

"Just imagine how much money and groundwork she's going to have laid before they oust her though. That girl is scary when she sets her mind to something," Harry said.

Dora shrugged not looking up from her magazine. "Good thing she's on our side then eh?"

"Too true. Too true."

"Seriously, who's screwing me and why didn't someone tell me?" Sirius whined running into the room panting and doubling over with his hands on his knees. "Do you know how hard it's been to get a date here? All these Aussie women think I sound amazing, but once I say I'm from Britain all they want to do is talk about some 007 bloke! And the men keep glaring at me because the women won't leave me alone and yet I can't seal the deal with any of them because I have no idea how to respond when they ask me say 'Bond'! I'll take getting metaphorically screwed at this point because that, at least, is something!"

Dora slowly laid her magazine onto her lap and turned to face Harry, her hair settling into a firm orange. "Do you want to tell him or should I?"

Harry smirked fighting to hold back his laughter. "Honestly I've been waiting for him to ask. Rose and I have been taking bets on how long before he cracks. I think this counts as my win. We'll sit him down with Gabrielle tonight. She still needs to see the Sean Connery ones."

"Those are the best ones!"

"No argument here."

"What are you two talking about!?" Sirius exclaimed throwing his hands up to the heavens.

"Your film education, Mr. Bond. And you're seriously having this many problems getting a date?" Dora asked laughing.

Sirius grimaced and kicked the carpet without meeting her eyes. "Well I could probably just sleep with someone, but that would get old fast. Everyone else in this house has a real significant other. I figure it's probably time for me to get a partner too."

"Cousin, my boyfriend has been around for two months. I'm keeping him because he's hilarious and he has a strange love of creatures that want to kill him – which is like half of this insane country so I guess that's not saying much for anyone who lives here," Dora replied deadpan.

"Hey, don't insult Steve, he seems nice!" Harry interjected throwing a pillow at Dora.

Dora caught the pillow and turned her wide-eyed gaze on Harry. "He wants to make a television show about crocodiles."

"He's our brand of crazy!"

"…I need to find you a new therapist," Dora groaned shaking her head and grabbing for the Quibbler again.

Gabrielle walked into the room just as Sirius' laughter at their friend's comment started up. The Veela glanced up from her notes, shrugged and sat beside Harry using his lap as a footrest. "Anyone I need to burn, entrance, or experiment on 'arry?"

"Nope, we were just discussing why Dora's boyfriend is actually pretty cool."

"Oh Steve? He's a keeper. Weird, but very nice. I like his views on animals too, I think even Rose likes him. Shame that his ex walked out after seeing that dragon, could handle crocodiles but not a small dragon..." Gabrielle sighed setting one of her pages to the side and pulling a pencil out from her ear to mark up the next one in line.

Harry nodded and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. "Rose really does like him by the way; mentioned it at dinner the other night. You were visiting Fleur." Gabrielle made an agreeable noise though didn't look up. "What are you working on, Ella?"

"Hermione sent us her reply with corrections to my initial design for the runes for the Time Leap Circle. I don't know if I like how this coincides with the math though. I'll have to have Rose look over these later on. She was always better with Runes then I was." Gabrielle shook her head and put the paper on the table. Shifting her legs off of Harry she instead snuggled up into his side and wrapped herself around him fitting against him like she had been molded to his exact measurements, sighing deeply. "Ah, so warm."

"Says the girl who can create fire with a snap of her fingers," an amused snort commented from the entrance to the room. Gabrielle twisted just enough to stick her tongue out at Rose before burrowing back into Harry's side. "I heard my name, did Daph get back to us on the plan for the Pygmy Puffs? Those things are adorable; they're going to be huge; they were last time I think." She shuffled to the couch and settled into Harry's other side playing with the bottom of his shirt with one hand and curling Gabrielle's hair around her fingers with her other one.

"Apparently you guys are silent partners in the Weasleys' shop now. And our household controls the creature trade of Australia," Dora commented from behind her magazine. Sirius and Rose both stopped their current amusements and turned to stare at her then Harry.

"What?" two voices asked completely deadpan.

"Don't look at me! I just told her to get with Fred and George and iron out an agreement for something regarding the cute little critters. She took that and ran with it!"

Sirius groaned and banged his head against the wall of the room. "Can someone _please_ convince that Davis girl to move here? Daphne was never this manic about things before Davis left the country!"

"I told you she fit right into our brand of crazy," Rose muttered. "In other news, everybody knows not to run around the house naked right? Flora and Hestia are – oh hi guys! As I was saying, Flora and Hestia are here."

The Carrow twins were clustered together near the doorway, hand in hand staring wide-eyed at the lounging household in front of them. Harry lifted his hand from around Gabrielle's back and waved. "Don't look so scared, girls. We don't bite. Not unless you want one of us to…"

"You said we could stay for a few days…" Hestia murmured. "It was late though so…I wasn't sure if…"

"Stay as long as you want. You never had anything to do with mocking us or hurting us. You're not on our shit list so you can stay and be comfortable. If that changes, you get one warning and will be politely asked to leave. If you ignore said warning, you're probably going to wish you had stayed in Britain. Those are the only conditions," Harry said nodding to one of the empty chairs nearby.

Flora blinked at the trio on the couch. "So the rumors were true them, you two were together."

"Yes. Again, if this is a problem, you can leave. If you want to stay long enough for new identities, we have Daphne Greengrass working on that for you now. It should only be a few days."

Flora and Hestia both looked to each other and frowned. After a few moments Hestia sighed and turned back to Harry. "Was it by choice or circumstance?"

"More circumstance and upbringing. We didn't really have any say in the matter. Rose was who I trusted to have my back and I was the only one there for Rose until well into our teens. Gabrielle entered the picture while I was – gone."

Flora nodded. "As long as you aren't evil, soul-stealing, torturing, assholes like our aunt and uncle we can deal with it."

Gabrielle shifted slightly and opened one eye to look towards the Carrows. "We torture people who wrong us. Our therapist is working with us on that. The last one we hurt was several years back. I zink it shows progress. He agrees. I do make an effort not to steal souls though and 'arry has assured me I am not evil."

"Don't listen to her, she's an Evil Mad Scientist," Sirius commented pointing his finger at Gabrielle and nodding quickly. "Her inventions will turn you to stone or have the carpet attack you!"

"We warned you not to use that spell on the carpet, puppy," Dora commented without looking up.

"I didn't know it was going to _attack_ me!"

Flora chuckled softly and moved fully into the room, Hestia following behind her. They sat down near the seat that Harry had indicated and smiled at the trio as Dora and Sirius continued to bicker. "Is your home always this…lively?"

"Generally," Harry replied smiling warmly back at them as his eyes roved over the group of people. "It's taken us a long time to get here, but we're finally comfortable and everyone is leaving us alone except for those few whom we care about. This is our family, Flora. For the longest time it was just Rose and I. Now…now I have a whole lot more.

"And family is all that really matters."

* * *

Rose stretched like a cat as the sun hit her eyes pulled her from a deep, dreamless sleep to the land of the wakeful. Her one hand brushed through the silky hair of her Veela lover while her other hand was quickly halted in its stretch by the weight of her brother's neck resting on her upper arm. Gabrielle mewled in contentment at the touch while Harry snuggled closer and responded to her movement by reaching over with his own hand, gripping her breast. Rose's eyes fluttered open and she snorted in amusement as she looked down at him. "Really, Harry? You could at least _pretend_ to be asleep."

"I could be sleep-molesting you," he murmured into her side. His breath tickled her armpit and Rose had to struggle not to respond to the shivers his breath sent running up and down her nerves. It wasn't intentional – and if it was, he certainly didn't get the credit for knowing he'd won ten seconds after she woke up.

" _Non_ , you don't get to sleep-molest her. That is my job. Only I get to sleep molest you both. Our therapist says so," Gabrielle mumbled through the pillow her head was currently buried in.

"Our therapist is stupid," Harry replied sagely.

"Well, I think he's great," Rose said chuckling. She shifted her leg enough to rub between Harry's thighs. He grunted in appreciation as she felt him growing to attention. "How many outbursts have I had since we started talking to this one, hmm?"

"Point taken," Harry grunted. "No more talk of therapists. Ella, last chance to wake up and join in."

"I'm still exhausted from my project last night, 'arry, you two have fun. Wake me for breakfast."

Rose rolled over landing fully atop Harry. "More fun for me, in that case. Now, where were we?"

"Hmm, I believe I was about to remind you of why you love waking up beside me," Harry replied kissing from the nape of her neck to the corners of her mouth.

"Good answer," groaned Rose as she shifted backward, seating him inside her folds. She sealed his lips with her own and together as the sun warmed them, Harry and Rose, with Gabrielle splayed out beside them let their passion loose and forgot the world for another few hours.

The problems of Britain were a world away and that was exactly how they had always wanted it to be. All they had ever wanted was to be left alone, and finally, _finally_ , they were getting their wish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: In this world Steve Irwin didn't get married to Terri Raines. And he started his show a few years later than in our world. Whether he's a wizard or not in this story you can decide for yourselves.
> 
> Fanfic Rec: 'FILFY Teacher' by Vimesenthusiast. This is a crossover with Highschool DxD. The main pairing is Harry/Rias though it's slowly growing into a harem setting with Yasaka and Kalawarner at minimum. This is largely AU and set after the war, where Harry had a single daughter with Ginny, Lily, but things didn't work out so he moved to Japan. Harry is a werewolf as well thanks to Third Year and after the move he quickly gets involved with Rias and the other devils, beginning to greatly mess up canon events. As an interesting aside being the master of the Hallows turns into assuming the legacy of a dead god in this fic. If you enjoy DxD but wish it were a bit less perverted or enjoy HP but wish Harry was a bit smarter/mature/powerful, then this story is EXCELLENT. Plus Lily is ADORABLE and most of the characters from both verses are very in character. The story is in progress and fairly regularly updated.
> 
> Second rec: 'Parallels' by Miss Poki. This is another Harry/Twin!Sister fic. It's a short oneshot, it's rather fluffy, and it's about Harry and his sister set after/during their first time together with them deciding that while it's not quite right, it's right for them considering their past. A sweet fic and something rather appropriate to end my recommendations on considering this story's subject matter.


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